The only civilian shooting club in Syria is located in Shabaa about a 20-minute drive from Damascus. You can practice different kinds of shooting there such as trap shooting, skeet shooting, rifle or pistol shooting and, coming soon, double trap shooting.

In developed countries shooting sports are popular and the authorities support all young shooters by giving them financial aid and technical support from trainers and experts.

Michael J. Flore is a 15-year-old trap shooter in the US and a member of the junior Olympic Trap team there. He is also the winner of many championships. In Syria, there isn't even a national junior team.

Khaled Al-Mudhaf is world champion trap shooter. He received the support of Salman Al-Sabah and won many gold medals at the Olympics. Khaled is, perhaps, not better than fellow Syrian shooters; the only difference is that he has received help in the form of coaching and money while other shooters have not.

Shooting sports are known to be expensive. Thirty-five shells of trap shooting cost SP 800 ($17), and if you are planning to be a professional shooter you will need to train at least two or three times a week. There are no trainers at the club so you will have to find your own way to becoming a professional. A dedicated approach to honing the advanced techniques required to excel by yourself is a big ask.

The only way to secure financial aid from the Shooting Union is to get a high score at the National Shooting Championship, which is held annually. Without financial help and coaching, this is difficult.

However, despite these obstacles, some Syrians have managed to make it to shooting's professional level, including Mikhail Al-Rai, George Arbaji and Joni Naser.

The sport of shooting needs the support of specialized authorities because there are a lot of talented shooters in the country who are ready to fly the flag for Syria at international championships.

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