As fears grow that shooting sports will be left out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Shooting Australia has launched a social media campaign to encourage the Victorian Government to let our athletes compete.
“Our primary objective is to remind the Victorian Government, the Commonwealth Games Association and the wider public that the target shooting sports have a strong and important presence in the community especially across regional Victoria, and a critical role to play in the medal success of the Australian Team at a home Games in 2026,” Shooting Australia’s CEO, Adam Sachs, said.
Shooting was not included among the 16 Phase 1 sports announced by the Victorian Government, despite the fact that shooting has been Australia’s fourth most successful sport in the Commonwealth Games since the nation first competed in 1930, behind only swimming, athletics and cycling.
The last time the Games were held in Victoria, in 2006, Australia’s shooters took a massive haul of 24 medals.
British authorities dropped shooting from the 2022 Games, which begin later this month in Birmingham, and this has created significant concerns about what Victoria may decide to do.
Shooting is not a compulsory sport in the Games, but since its first appearance in 1966 it has only missed out in 1972 and 2022.
Birmingham organisers claimed a lack of facilities close to the city made shooting too difficult to include but Victoria will not be able to claim a similar problem, particularly as the state takes a regionally based approach to the 2026 Games.
Shooting Australia has enlisted the help of the Australian Clay Target Association, National Rifle Association of Australia, Pistol Australia, and Target Rifle Australia in its efforts.
It is now asking all shooting enthusiasts to get behind its campaign on social media, and has released the following guide to spreading the word:
Hashtags and who to Tag
The hashtags we want the community to use for this campaign are:
#ShootForTheGames2026
#commonwealthgames2026
For this campaign we would also love the community to tag the following when sharing/posting about the campaign:
@CommGamesAus
Key Messaging
There are some themes that would be great to see being pushed out across your social media platforms and for the community to also share to spread the message. Please see some example texts below:
Example text 1:
“Share and show your support! Let’s see shooting included in the 2026 Commonwealth games. #shootforthegames2026 #commonwealthgames2026 @commgamesaus”
Example text 2:
“Did you know Australia has won the most shooting medals in the commonwealth? We’re calling for the inclusion of shooting sports in a golden moment for sporting history. Show your support! #shootforthegames2026 #commonwealthgames2026 @commgamesaus”
Example text 3:
“The unique opportunity to bring elite shooting athletes to the home of shooting sports at the 2026 Commonwealth Games must not be missed. Regional Victoria is the shooter’s backyard, with world-class facilities ready to shine on the world stage. #shootingforthegames2026 #commonwealthgames2026 @commgamesaus”
You can follow Shooting Australia on Facebook.
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