Olympic shooting test event held in London

London, April 19 (IANS) The shooting test event for the 2012 London Olympic Games is being held in the Royal Artillery Barracks range here, adding to the festive atmosphere as the capital city celebrates the 100-day countdown to the start of 2012 London Games.

According to ISSF, the international governing body of the sport of shooting, more than 800 shooters coming from 97 countries and regions have registered to participate in the event.

The number of athletes competing will be more than double than that at Games' time, when 390 shooters will have a start on the lines of the Royal Artillery Barracks range, Xinhua reported.

"Testing the innovative venue, and refining their preparation in one of the last international shooting competitions before the Games, the best shooters of the world will participate in the event. Among them, almost all the world's top-10 in their respective disciplines," said ISSF on its website.

All the 15 ISSF Olympic shooting events, in the disciplines of rifle, pistol and shotgun shooting, will be conducted during the test event.

The Olympic venue, the Royal Artillery Barracks Shooting Range, is a central area of the London Games, just minutes away from the Olympic Village.

"Being in the heart of the Games, close to the Olympic Village, will give our athletes the best conditions to compete at their top level, and will make them happy," said Peter Underhill, the shooting manager at the London Organising Committee Sports Department.

The test event officially kicked off Wednesday and will conclude next Saturday.