The elite of Rifle and Pistol shooting will converge at Munich’s prestigious Olympic Shooting Range for the 2023 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, taking place from June 10 to 15.

This event will host an impressive lineup of 695 athletes, including numerous Olympic and World champions from 78 countries. A total of 10 finals are scheduled, with competitions commencing on Tuesday.

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The season kicked off with a double event in South America, where Indian Rifle and Pistol shooters garnered 15 medals, including six golds, earning commendable second and third places in the rankings. However, the Munich stage promises a heightened level of competition with the presence of the world’s elite.

Among these athletes is Swapnil Kusale, the bronze medalist from Paris in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions, who has dominated the domestic circuit to earn his spot back on the team.

Two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan will also compete internationally for the first time since Paris, although she attended as an RPO shooter in Buenos Aires and Lima.

The reigning Asian Games champion in women’s air pistol, Palak, will rejoin the team, alongside several newcomers making their World Cup debuts, including recent national champion Ananya Naidu and men’s air pistol debutants Aditya Malra and Nishant Rawat, as India continues to build depth in these disciplines ahead of future challenges.

Prominently featured among the competitors are two Chinese stars: the legendary Li Yuehong, reigning Olympic champion and three-time medalist in the 25m rapid-fire pistol, alongside Sheng Lihao, the current Olympic, World, and Asian champion, as well as a world-record holder and rising young talent in air rifle.

In his last appearance in Munich, Sheng set a world record in the finals of the 10m air rifle event and recently claimed another World Cup victory in Lima. Li will be competing at this level for the first time since securing gold in Paris.

The Munich World Cup is strategically scheduled when international shooters are at their peak, drawing participation from every leading shooting nation and sending strong contingents.

China, who swept the first two legs of the season, will also be represented by Olympic champion in men’s air pistol Xie Yu as part of their 22-member team. Sheng, the mixed air rifle Olympic champion, will compete without his partner from Paris, Huang Yuting.

The host nation, Germany, has assembled a formidable squad of 27 led by the legendary pistol shooter and former Olympic and World champion Christian Reitz. Anna Janssen, the women’s air rifle qualification world record holder, will also compete on home turf.

French champion Jean Quiquampoix, part of a 16-member team, joins the ranks of distinguished athletes who have excelled in rapid-fire pistol events in recent years.

South Korea is also fielding a strong team of 19 shooters, including two reigning women’s Olympic champions: Yang Jiin in the 25m pistol and Oh Yejin in the 10m air pistol.

Reigning mixed team air pistol champions from Paris, Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic, lead a strong 15-member Serbian team, while women’s 3P shooter Chiara Leone adds to the lineup of Olympic champions competing in Munich, supported by a high-caliber 11-member Swiss team.

Former Olympic champions Javad Faroughi from Iran (10m air pistol), Nina Christen from Switzerland (women’s 3P), and Greece’s Anna Korakaki are also set to participate. Several medalists from the Paris Olympics, including USA’s Sagen Maddalena, Italy’s Paolo Monna, and Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le, are competing in Munich as well, highlighting the robust presence of US shooters.

Other notable athletes include Ukrainian rifle specialist Serhii Kulish, a two-time Olympic medalist, part of a 21-member squad, and competitors from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Turkey. A group of 25 individual neutral athletes (AIN) are also expected to pose a strong challenge across the 10 scheduled events.