Flash targets for Para Shooting World Cup trap finals create controversy

It was an embarrassing moment for India in front of the international shooting community of 50-odd nations when the ‘flash targets’ for the finals of the prestigious WSPS Para World Cup trap events had to be discarded by the foreign jury as they were not fit for competition.

The WSPS Para Shooting World Cup is the first-ever event of its kind, taking place in India and offers 20 Paris Paralympic berths.

More than 250 shooters from 50 countries participated in the event, which concluded on Thursday at the Karni Singh Ranges.

While ‘flash targets’ are not mandatory in the finals of the shotgun events, they are used in almost every international competition finals, including the Olympics, ISSF World Cup, World Championships, continental championships and even in India’s national championships and trials, as they reduce judgement errors to a bare minimum.

The ‘flash target’, when hit by lead splinters of a 12-bore cartridge fired by the competitor, explodes on impact, spewing a thick plume of pink colour into the atmosphere. It becomes easy for the jury to judge whether the shooter has hit the target (made a kill) or not, just by seeing the plume of pink in the atmosphere.

While ordinary targets without colours are used in qualification rounds, the finals are, as a matter of principle, held with ‘flash targets in almost every international competition.