African Championship & Finale of the Africa Cup — Parcours de Chasse
The 2009 FITASC Sporting Africa Championship (incorporating the prestigious Finale of the Africa Cup) was a historic continental clay target shooting tournament held from March 4th to March 6th, 2009. Staged as a flagship fixture on the international calendar, this intense three-day championship brought together elite marksmen from across Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and visiting European nations to compete in the main Sporting discipline (Parcours de chasse). The tournament was proudly hosted at the world-class and breathtaking facilities of the Club Tanger de Tir aux Armes de Chasse in Tangier, Morocco.
This legendary tournament is famously remembered for the phenomenal performance of British shooting icon George Digweed, who successfully clinched the 2009 African Sporting Championship title.
Event Highlights & Structural Parameters
Operating under the highest international framework of global target sports, this African Championship combined Morocco’s rich sporting hospitality with strict international regulations:
Sanctioning Architecture: The competition operated under the direct international authority of FITASC (Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse), certifying that all multi-field layouts, target flight trajectories, and weapon compliance parameters conformed to strict global tier-1 standards.
The Continental Crown & Africa Cup Finale: Serving as the grand final leg of the 2009 Africa Cup, this championship aggregated selective continental points to crown the overall seasonal cup champions in individual and team categories.
Mediterranean Clifftop Challenge: Situated on scenic cliffs overlooking where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, the host venue delivered a beautifully demanding competitive arena. Strong, variable sea winds and shifting marine light tested the visual tracking, lead calculations, and mental focus of the world's best shooters.
1. Full Event Program & Schedule
The tournament operational timeline distributed the grueling 200-target qualification course over a focused three-day competitive schedule:
March 2nd – March 3rd (Monday – Tuesday): Arrival of international and continental delegations, squadding registration, official shooter check-in, weapon safety compliance verifications, and training lines open on the designated sporting layouts.
March 4th (Wednesday) — Championship Day One: Phase 1 of the official continental qualification course begins over specialized natural layouts.
March 5th (Thursday) — Championship Day Two: Middle qualification stages. Scoring margins tighten as shooters navigate wind-affected target trajectories along the coastline.
March 6th (Friday) — Championship Final Day: Concluding qualification flights, followed immediately by high-stakes, sudden-death international tie-breaking shoot-offs (barrages) to determine the definitive individual and category podium positions.
March 6th (Friday) — Official Closing & Awards Ceremony: Staged Friday afternoon at the main pavilion to honor individual, category, and national team winners, officially crowning the 2009 African Sporting Champions and finalizing the Africa Cup standings.
2. Venue Profile & Logistical Location Details
All tournament operations, specialized shooting tracks, and official administrative offices were hosted by Morocco's premier clay target complex:
Host Venue:
Club Tanger de Tir aux Armes de Chasse (Tangier Shooting Club)
Tangier (Tanger), Morocco
The Club Tanger de Tir is internationally renowned for its dramatic clifftop views, top-tier automated launcher configurations, and exceptional Moroccan hospitality. Located in the historic gateway city of Tangier, the club's "old-style" FITASC courses span rolling seaside hills, challenging shooters with highly technical, wind-affected target paths requiring extreme precision and shot-to-shot adaptability.
3. Organizing Committee & Registration Framework
Administrative operations and international competitor registries followed strict timeline allocations managed through the global governing body and the host federation:
Host National Body: Royal Moroccan Shooting Sport Federation (FRMTS)
International Sanctioning Oversight: Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse (FITASC)
