ISSF VR Experience returns for Milan Games Week

Milan Games Week showcased the ISSF VR Experience over three days, as the platform returned since its debuting presentation at ISSF House during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The fantastic weekend is another step in the campaign to show how shooting sport has serious credentials in the esports and gaming world.

647 matches were played over three days, with people of all ages participating in the immersive event.

Ivan Carella, ISSF E-Sport and New Technology Committee member said: "It’s a virtual reality platform through which is possible to promote shooting sports by making us present in some fields that - at least until now - did not belong to us, precisely such as all the digital scenarios.

"Because our shooting sports are not easily communicable to the outside world, certainly the gaming dimension is the one that suits best for approaching all kinds of users, doing so in a user-friendly, simple, immediate, and even educational way.

"Furthermore, due to the peculiarities of our disciplines and the sports equipment that we use, it has been so far impossible to take part in fairs and events open to the wider public, but luckily the digital and virtual reality are now offering to us an immense communication portal, interactive and truly effective in terms of both information and involvement.

"The flow of people visiting was honestly surprising, surely due to the novelty factor and the fact that the tool we propose is highly attractive.

"An important component in capturing the attention of passers-by was that of projecting live on the maxi-screen the sensory experience that any user was trying out through the visor in that very moment."

The VR technology is able to replicate what users can see and feel on a dedicated shooting facility and the intricacies of each discipline and makes it more accessible to all ages including young and disabled athletes without the necessary equipment.

The ISSF E-Sport and New Technology Committee will continue to development the virtual reality, with a goal of creating a world ranking system for all players.

The ISSF VR Experience allows users to try shooting in all Olympic shooting disciplines: trap, skeet, rifle and pistol events.