Ireland Clay Target Shooting Association and the Olympic Federation of Ireland have published the nomination policies for the Istanbul 2027 European Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, providing athletes and coaches with clear qualification pathways and performance standards for the next major Games cycle.
The policies outline the nomination and selection criteria athletes must achieve to be considered for Team Ireland, ensuring transparency and clarity throughout the qualification process. Athletes must meet the relevant international qualification requirements as well as the performance standards set out within the Team Ireland nomination framework.
The publication comes at an important time for Irish shooting, with the sport continuing to strengthen its high-performance programme and create greater opportunities for athletes to compete internationally. Recent investment in athlete support and development pathways has helped Irish shooters access more major competitions and build towards future Games success.
Jack Fairclough is among the athletes targeting qualification for LA28 as Ireland looks to build on the growing momentum within the sport and increase its representation on the international stage.
“My ambition over the next two years is very clear. I want to see Irish athletes in Olympic Skeet and Trap competing consistently at a level where Olympic finals are a realistic objective. The new nomination standards of two scores of 119 for men and two scores of 116 for women set a clear benchmark for sustained international performance.The European Games will be an important milestone on that journey but LA28 is our ultimate target. I want to build a group of athletes who are not simply capable of qualifying for Los Angeles but who arrive there with the experience, ranking and performance level to challenge for finals. We have already seen evidence that Irish athletes can compete at the highest level and now the objective is to build on that.One of our biggest opportunities is the development of our pathway. We are creating a clearer progression from junior and development level through to senior High Performance, with an approach that is athlete centred and progression led. The challenge now is to convert that structure into greater consistency on the international stage and to build a stronger performance culture across the sport.If we can align our athletes, coaches, competition programme and performance support around a common objective, I believe we can significantly increase the number of Irish athletes competing at world class level.The next two years are about building the performances, experience and depth that will put Ireland Olympic Skeet and Trap in the strongest possible position for LA28. There is a real opportunity ahead of us and I am excited about what we can achieve.”
The nomination policies are available to athletes, coaches and support personnel and should be read in conjunction with the relevant international federation qualification systems.