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(Beijing April 12) The opening ceremony of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 ISSF World Cup was held on April 11 at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall, one of the newly inaugurated venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Gao Zhidan, Director of the Shooting and Archery Administrative Center under the General Administration of Sport, addressed the opening ceremony, saying that the event would not only help the shooters from around the globe to adapt themselves to the newly built Olympic venue but also serve as a test of the venue and its supporting facilities.
A total of 878 athletes from 92 countries and regions have registered to compete in the Beijing World Cup from April 12 to 20. Plus officials and delegates from different organizations the number of the participants has reached 1,600, a record high of all the "Good Luck Beijing" sport events.
Similarly to the Olympic Games, the World Cup features 15 events, 10 rifle and pistol events and 5 shotgun events. Host China will send a 60-shooter team, among whom 23 will represent China in the Beijing Olympics this summer.
The World Cup shotgun competitions will be staged on the Beijing Shooting Range Clay-Target Field using throwing devices imported from France. According to the organizers, while as usual red smoke can be seen when the target is hit in the finals, green smoke will be seen for the first time in major world tournaments during the qualification rounds.
Feng Jianzhong, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China and Olegario Vazquez Rana, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), attended the opening ceremony where lion dance and traditional Chinese kung fu performances were presented.
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