The 2012 FITASC Sporting Grand Prix of France was an elite international clay target shooting competition held from March 31st to April 1st, 2012. Staged as a premier early-season fixture on the European calendar, this prestigious tournament gathered top-tier domestic and international marksmen to face a demanding qualification course in the main Sporting discipline (Parcours de chasse) at the famous Stand de Tir de La Cerisaille in Guibeville (Essonne department, 91), France.
Event Highlights & Structural Parameters
Operating under the official international framework of the 2012 global tournament calendar, this Grand Prix paired France's deep-rooted clay shooting heritage with strict international regulatory structures:
Sanctioning Architecture: The competition operated under the direct international authority of FITASC (Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse), ensuring that all multi-stand configurations, weapon compliance rules, and target trajectories conformed to absolute tier-1 international standards.
National Coordination: The tournament was organized in close partnership with the FFBT (Fédération Française de Ball-Trap), the governing national federation overseeing high-performance target sports in France.
Global Selection Standing: Staged as an active, point-scoring qualification match, this event functioned as a critical leg for both the prestigious international Beretta FITASC Cups circuit and the worldwide Fiocchi FITASC World Rankings.
1. Full Event Program & Schedule
The tournament operational timeline allocated dedicated pre-event preparation windows followed by the intensive qualification course split across the competitive weekend:
March 29th – March 30th (Thursday – Friday): Arrival of international and domestic delegations, squadding confirmation, official shooter registry check-in, weapon compliance safety checks, and the opening of warm-up training lines on designated sporting layouts.
March 31st (Saturday) — Grand Prix Day One: Initial qualification flights consisting of the first 100 competition targets open over specialized woodland and field layouts.
April 1st (Sunday) — Grand Prix Final Day: Concluding qualification flights consisting of the final 100 competition targets, followed immediately by international sudden-death tie-breaking shoot-offs (barrages) to determine the definitive podium positions.
April 1st (Sunday) — Official Awards and Closing Ceremony: Staged late Sunday afternoon to honor individual, category, and national team winners.
2. Venue Profile & Technical Layout
All operations, specialized shooting tracks, and official administrative panels were hosted at one of France's most prestigious and technically challenging clay target facilities:
Host Venue: Stand de Tir de La Cerisaille Chemin de la Cerisaille, 91410 Guibeville, Essonne, France
Advanced Infrastructure: Located roughly 40 kilometers south of Paris, La Cerisaille features an exceptional variety of multi-stand sporting grids built right into dense woodlands and open fields.
Specialized Layout Features: The venue is celebrated for its multi-directional tower launchers and highly technical target profiles, simulating unpredictable real-world hunting scenarios that require high-performance adaptation from competitors.
3. Organizing Committee Contact Framework
Administrative operations, registry validation, and statutory firearm customs documentation for international visitors were routed through the core federation channels:
International Sanctioning Oversight: Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse (FITASC)
National Governing Federation: Fédération Française de Ball-Trap (FFBT)
