The southeastern city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province won the right to host a global shooting competition in 2018, the International Shooting Sport Federation said Tuesday.

The ISSF unanimously chose Changwon as the host of the 2018 World Shooting Championships during its general assembly in London.

Rivals Slovenia’s Maribor and Qatar’s Doha yielded just before the vote.

It will be the second time for Korea and Asia to host the event. Seoul hosted the championships in 1978.

Changwon received high marks for its compact competition venue, facilities located close to the center of the city and experience in organizing shooting events.

Changwon has hosted more than 10 national competitions, and staged the ISSF World Cup five times between 2003 and 2011.

Changwon also successfully organized a series of international sporting events, including the Formula 3 race and the Asian Cycling Challenger Cup.

Korea has a long history of competitive shooting. It first participated in Olympic shooting events in 1956 and has been a regular participant since then, winning a total of nine medals so far, including a gold medal in the men’s 50 m pistol at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The 2018 World Shooting Championships will be held for 15 days between August and September, with more than 4,000 athletes and officials from 116 member countries expected to attend.

The first world shooting championship was held in 1897 in Lyon, France, following the 1896 Olympics Games. Since 1953, the ISSF World Championships have been held every four years.

The last event was held in Munich in 2010 and Granada, Spain is preparing to host the 2014 event.

(sophie@heraldcorp.com)