The Amateur Trapshooting Association’s championship will return this summer to Sparta. | Stock Photo
The Amateur Trapshooting Association’s championship will return this summer to Sparta. | Stock Photo
The Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) will return to Sparta for its 2021 Grand American World Trapshooting Championships.
Along with the championship event making its return this summer is the U.S. Open event. The U.S. Open is scheduled to be held in June at Sparta’s World Shooting and Recreational Complex, with the Grand American taking place in August at the same location.
State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) voiced her excitement for the news through an April 15 social media post.
“When it was announced that the Sparta Shooting and Recreational Complex would not be the host site for last year's Grand American World Trapshooting Championships, it was devastating for our region,” Bryant said. “The event is a major economic driver for Southern Illinois, bringing in millions of dollars annually. But it has been announced that the largest shooting event of its kind is coming home where it belongs!”
In the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, last year’s Grand American was relocated to Missouri following coronavirus restrictions placed in the state by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This year, the DNR has given authorization for the championships to return to Sparta.
The ATA conducts approximately 20 individual events at the Grand American World Shooting Championships, drawing thousands in attendance each year.
This year’s Grand American takes place from Aug. 4-14.
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