World Shoot XIV Information

[Yoda]

Latest news from the WSXIV Match Director in respect of at is givenon stop flights from various European cities to Guayaquil (Iberia, KLM, American Airlines, etc.) without having to stop in the US.

The last I heard, KLM accepted only "sporting firearms" of certain calibers, and this policy included "absolutely no handguns". Better check before buying tickets, particularly with non-US carriers.

Last time I flew KLM with handguns was last year October to the PanAmerican 2003 in Ecuador. Very good straight connection from Amsterdam. You must indicate that you will be transporting handguns (and ammo) when you make your reservation, they will clear it and no problem. I've flewn KLM on several occasions with handguns without any problems - as long as you advise them of your special luggage in advance they will take care of it.

[Flexmoney]

If you go over-weight, could you just pay for and, and take, an extra piece of luggage? Or, is that not allowed?

[shred]

Correct me if I am wrong, but most  "developing nations" (use of the politically correct is appropriate, since they will probably use politically correct targets) do not let visitors go armed, and throw you in a stiinking hellhole for a few years to await trial if you are caught carrying outside very restrictive licensing conditions.  (ie, it's sort of like Massachusetts or New Jersey, although MA does sell visitors carry permits if you plan 6+ months ahead of time)

Ok, I'll correct you Rob .. the Guatamalans issued country-wide CHL permits for the Columbus Cup last year, and the Nicaraguans are supposedly doing the same this year (including VIP customs/immigration lines at the airport). Didn't SA issue them for the World Shoot?

Ordinary citizens visiting may have trouble getting licenses, but in lots of the "3rd-world" countries, their equivalent BATF head is frequently an IPSC shooter and will treat competitors right.

[ErikW]

FYI, for us gringos, it's pronounced why-ah-KEEL.

Guayaquil city gubbmint web site (tourism page en Ingles)

Ecuador travel web site (Guayaquil page in English)

No carry allowed, unless there's some stealth process I can't determine.

No dates for the match yet. I would expect around September? It had better be between April and December because I don't want to go there with 86 degrees F and 100% humidity like it was there yesterday.

[EricW]

I don't get it. I just checked the Worldshoot XIV web site Vince listed and all the forms are referenced to ATF forms. Isn't the match in Ecuador? Why on earth do they want visitors to Ecuador to fill out US govt. ATF forms?

[Vince Pinto]

Eric,

People transiting the USA will need BATF approval if they also intend to shoot a match and/or go hunting in the US before and/or after WSXIV.

If you're only transiting the USA to Ecuador, you probably only need to complete a DSP-61 from the US Department of State.

Shred,

Yes, we were all given carry permits on arrival in RSA for WSXIII. Very civilised.

[JMD]

Local Carry Permits

While it is true Guatemala issued a full-concealed carry permit last year and there is the possibility of the Nicaraguan’s doing the same for this years Columbus Cup; you will not be extended that privilege in Ecuador.

Victor will have the arrivals process streamlined with match officials. At the Pan Am an Air Force Major was on hand to see that all was handled efficiently.

Match dates are scheduled in August and while the idea of an extra piece of luggage to carry additional rounds sounds good – it just won’t fly.

Give Victor time to work the process for importation. The match is still over a year away and time runs at a different pace in Latin America. Unfortunately ammo is IMO the single largest impediment to large-scale international matches. People are working the problem.

Joel

[Rob Boudrie]

Correct me if I am wrong, but most  "developing nations" (use of the politically correct is appropriate, since they will probably use politically correct targets) do not let visitors go armed, and throw you in a stiinking hellhole for a few years to await trial if you are caught carrying outside very restrictive licensing conditions.  (ie, it's sort of like Massachusetts or New Jersey, although MA does sell visitors carry permits if you plan 6+ months ahead of time)

Ok, I'll correct you Rob .. the Guatamalans issued country-wide CHL permits for the Columbus Cup last year, and the Nicaraguans are supposedly doing the same this year (including VIP customs/immigration lines at the airport). Didn't SA issue them for the World Shoot?

Ordinary citizens visiting may have trouble getting licenses, but in lots of the "3rd-world" countries, their equivalent BATF head is frequently an IPSC shooter and will treat competitors right.

In this case, I am glad I was at least partially wrong.

[Jack Suber]

I just got word from Ecuador's IPSC Director that all import problems (ammo, guns, etc) have been taken care of. Now, lets hope we can work things out on the US-end (get approval to export ammo to Ecuador).

[B.J. Norris]

Does anybody know what the extra fee is to enter a team?

[Vince Pinto]

B.J.,

Match fees have not yet been announced, but the team fee is usually around US$250 in total for the four members.

However please bear in mind that (in your case), all teams must be approved and organised under the auspices of the USPSA. Teams must also be division specific, but teams can be comprised of members of both sexes.

PS: Only 321 days to go !!!

[NPSA 86-259]

How many US$ will a stay of ten day at the WSXIV in Ecuador cost? Untill now I figured it would be about 2,500,- Euros flight from Europe included. This means it will more expensive than the event in South Africa.

In South Africa an American said about Ecuador: "a dollar is a dollar". I figure this will be true. Is the IPSC shooting on international events just something for the rich?

[NPSA 86-259]

PS: will Jerry Miculek be around in Ecuador?

[Vince Pinto]

Is the IPSC shooting on international events just something for the rich?

No, it's not, and your question is very unfriendly. What do you expect? Free airfare, accommodation, meals and match entry fee? If you have a plan which would make attendance at a World Shoot cheaper, let me know, because I'm always willing to learn.

BTW, hotel and match rates for WSXIV have not yet been announced.

[Dead Buff]

NPSA, your figures seem about the correct from what I calculated. We're running ±N$40k/shooter (thats ±US$6k) all inclusive of flight to South Africa - Amsterdam - Ecuador, ammo, accommodation, 2 shirts and some money for food and drink, shipping of ammo vis sea 3 months in advance, etc.

The reason for flying way north and then south is that if we fly RSA - South America we have 4 stop overs and that with a gun is not a good idea for me.

We are scratching around for money to send 4 guys....

Is the IPSC shooting on international events just something for the rich?

No...it just means that PSA's have to work a bit harder for money to subsidise their shooters....

[Vince Pinto]

We are scratching around for money to send 4 guys....

And I hope you get 4 slots, but the official allocations won't be announced until January 2005.

[SmittyFL]

Although I've never shot internationally (outside the US), this world shoot sure seems difficult to organize. Why do they have it in a place where it's so hard to ship ammo? Is it just the US folks that will have trouble? And why isn't more info available now? Planning for this match isn't exactly easy, you'd think they would have all needed info available a year in advance minimum. I'd sure like to shoot it, but I can't plan for something like this on much shorter notice.

[Vince Pinto]

Why do they have it in a place where it's so hard to ship ammo? Planning for this match isn't exactly easy, you'd think they would have all needed info available a year in advance minimum.

Regions willing and able to host a World Shoot (and there are not that many!), are required to express their intentions at, and to give a presentation to, the IPSC General Assembly held in conjunction with the previous World Shoot. At WSXIII in South Africa, there were three bidders, namely Ecuador, Denmark and Canada. After giving their respective audio/visual presentations and answering questions from the floor, voting was conducted by secret ballot, and Ecuador emerged as the successful bidder on the first ballot (Ecuador 21 votes, Canada 11 votes, Denmark 7 votes).

In my view, Ecuador was successful largely because of the lower "in country" costs of participation (e.g. accommodation, meals etc). However regardless of who wins the bid, somebody has to travel further and spend more money on airfares than somebody else (cf. the location of US Nationals debate). Moreover, I can't think of any place in the world to where it is "easy" to ship ammo.

I agree that it would be nice to have all the relevant information available 12 months in advance but, for (lengthy) reasons I won't go into here, that's not always possible. Having said that, I've been in regular contact with WSXIV Match Director Victor Ferrero over the past 6 months, and I know he's been working his butt off negotiating various concessions from his Government and other parties, which will directly assist and benefit all competitors. I'm not at liberty to give details yet, but I'm confident that competitors will be pleased.

Anyway, Victor will be giving the IPSC General Assembly in Bali (on 27 November 2004) an update on his progress, and I expect his website containing all relevant information will be updated soon thereafter.

POSTSCRIPT: The website is http://www.worldshootxiv.com/, and the dates of the match are 21-27 August 2005.

[SmittyFL]

Vince,

I'm sure you're right about shipping ammo to other countries, I've never tried.

I've heard this will be one of the least expensive World Shoot's, that's why I'm going to try and shoot it. (although it still may be out of reach)

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Vince Pinto]

Smitty,

You gotta go, otherwise how the hell can I buy you a Cuba Libre?

[Dead Buff]

Leave it to Vince to already know the best local brew....

.....................

I know this is decided on a semi ad-hoc basis, but isn't every region at least entitled to send one team (3+1)??? How is Namibia to win the team title if we can only send 1 or 2 guys???

[Vince Pinto]

I know this is decided on a semi ad-hoc basis, but isn't every region at least entitled to send one team (3+1)??? How is Namibia to win the team title if we can only send 1 or 2 guys???

No, it's not decided on a "semi ad-hoc basis". The formula for the distribution of slots is a matter of IPSC policy.

Some years ago, the policy was that every Region was given 4 "basic" slots, and the remainder were distributed on a pro-rata basis. However since 1997, we've grown from about 40 Regions to 70 Regions, so if we maintained the old policy, 280 (70x4) of the official 525 slots (i.e. 53%) would be allocated on a "thanks for coming" basis, however that's not fair to the Regions paying most of the freight.

The policy was changed prior to WSXIII, so that slots are allocated on a strictly across-the-board pro-rata basis. In other words, Regions are now given slots according to the average membership they've declared (and paid) to IPSC over the previous 3 years, up to a maximum of 2,000 members per Region (e.g. Germany, USA, the Philippines etc.).

Having said all that, the Regional Director of each Region is always given a free slot in the Pre-Match, along with Match Officials and Match Sponsors. Of course in recent years, we've also used the Pre-Match to increase our overall slots from 525 to 800 in South Africa, and I hope Ecuador can squeeze in a few more.

[Dead Buff]

OK, so I've got a slot...for the pre-match. Does this count toward score with the main match?

I'm not complaining. It seems fair to award the regions who pay the greater % of total income, but many regions will never even get voting rights due to low membership. Assuming a relatively constant % per capita per country/region are IPSC shooters in all regions, some countries will never make it and thus might never get enough slots to send 1 team....

And I do understand the the competition must be capped at some point to keep logistics and cost under control - also from a practical point of view. So unlimited slots just are not there.

The bottom line still remains - those that get to go and actually go are going to have a once in a lifetime shooting experiance...just judging by the ever increasing standard over the last WS's....

[Vince Pinto]

OK, so I've got a slot...for the pre-match. Does this count toward score with the main match?

Yes.

...... but many regions will never even get voting rights due to low membership.

For a Region to be entitled to voting rights, it must be current in respect of all monies due to IPSC, and it must declare and pay for a minimum of 100 members. If you declare and pay for fewer than 100 members, you remain a Region in good standing, and you can participate in the GA, but you just don't get a vote.

When it comes to slots, I cannot think of a fairer way to distribute them, other than on a strictly pro-rata basis. Of course, at one end of the scale, the smallest Regions may not get sufficient slots to enter a team but, at the other end of the scale, the biggest Regions are restricted due to the cap on membership reporting.

Closer to home (for me), Hong Kong usually gets 7 slots, but we could easily use 20, and we'd really love to be able to form 4 teams, so rest assured that Namibia is not alone.

[Dead Buff]

Closer to home (for me), Hong Kong usually gets 7 slots, but we could easily use 20, and we'd really love to be able to form 4 teams, so rest assured that Namibia is not alone.

That I do realise. Regions like Zim and some South American and many other regions sit in the same boat. And I do agree that the current system is the fairest to date.

Now to get the money to send 1/2/3 shooter....

Last Q on the slots subject - Non-used slots revert back to....IPSC or the hosting country for redistribution? And may a region give slots to another?