Jersey shooters saddened by Commonwealth omission

The head of the Jersey Pistol Association says he is disappointed shooting has not been included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow this week unveiled the 10 sports it will host in a slimmed-down event, having stepped in to host the Games after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out.

It is the second successive Games not to include shooting – a sport in which Jersey won their most recent Commonwealth medals in 1990.

“It’s very sad for us because the Commonwealth Games are the pinnacle for Jersey,” Gregory Guida told BBC Radio Jersey.

“We do understand why, Glasgow got it in extremis because the Australians were not going to do it, and it’s nice that it is still happening.

“But it is very sad that we cannot send people to shoot – we normally have six to seven people at every Commonwealth Games.”

Sports including diving, badminton, hockey, table tennis and triathlon have also failed to make the cut for 2026.

It is a double blow for Jersey’s shooters, who will have little international competition in the next few years.

Next summer’s Island Games in Orkney will not include shooting while Guida expects there to be little, if any, shooting at the games in the Faroe Islands in 2027 and Isle of Man in 2029.

“Not to have it happen is a problem,” added Guida.

“So we’re looking at other ways of gathering and probably just doing specific shooting events.

“We are talking among the islands to try and get something going.

“I know Gibraltar is very, very keen to have something happen [there] and they are well-geared for it as they have fantastic ranges.

“Jersey has done it in the past extremely well and could do it again, so we are looking at having our own competitions.”