COMPETITIVE SHOOTING IN THE UKRAINE

GLOCK PAVES THE WAY GLOCK PAVES THE WAY

FOR COMPETITIVE SHOOTING FOR COMPETITIVE SHOOTING IN THE UKRAINE IN THE UKRAINE

THE BIGGEST FIREARMS RETAILER IN THIS EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY KNOWS JUST WHAT IT TAKES TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED IN COMPETITION SHOOTING—AND IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH GLOCK.

■ ARTICLE BY BRAD FITZPATRICK ARTICLE BY BRAD FITZPATRICK ■ PHOTOS BY ANZHEY VETER PHOTOS BY ANZHEY VETER

n 2019, IBIS LLC celebrated 25 years as Ukraine’s largest

Ifirearms and sporting goods retailer. The company employs more than 600 workers and has 10 retail locations across the country to supply hunters, shooters, and anglers with all the gear and accessories they need. IBIS also publishes the most successful hunting and shooting magazine in Ukraine, manufactures ammunition, and maintains a YouTube channel that keeps viewers up to date on the latest products. IBIS indoor and outdoor ranges offer firearms owners a chance to shoot recreationally or test their skills among the region’s finest competitors across a number of firearms disciplines.

IBIS hosts some of the most prestigious shooting competitions in Europe, several of which are the company’s primary events for handgun shooters: the IBIS GLOCK Cup; and GLOCK Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) series matches. As Ukraine’s GLOCK distributor, IBIS began hosting these events in 2016, and by 2017, participation had increased dramatically: The four GLOCK matches held that year drew in more than 400 competitors total, with the largest individual match hosting more than 120 shooters. In 2018, IBIS increased its number of GLOCK events to five and included a steel match, GSSF I and GSSF II, IBIS GLOCK Cup I, and IBIS GLOCK Cup II. The largest of those events saw 110 competitors, with the total number of shooters at 418.

The 2019 IBIS GLOCK competition year was only half over as this article for the GLOCK Annual 2020 was being prepared, but it’s clear that enthusiasm for GLOCK events is strong. Top competitors are flocking to IBIS events from around the region. In April of 2019, 120 shooters attended the GSSF I competition. Ukranian Master Class shooter Vitaliy Iereshchenko took first place with a combined time of 56.68 seconds across three separate courses of fire. In second was Dennis Rabah with a combined time of 61.10 seconds. On June 1, 2019, Iereshchenko returned to compete in the IBIS GLOCK Cup against 92 other shooters and, with a combined time of 138.73 seconds, once again took home the top prize, beating second-place finisher Alexander Karpov by a full six seconds.

Moving on to July, Iereshchenko traveled once more to Kyiv (a.k.a. Kiev), hoping to maintain his impressive winning streak at the fourth annual GSSF II match. It was not to be, however, as Guardian Class shooter Sergey Shevchenko edged out the favorite with a combined winning time of 55.71 seconds and just a single penalty on match day. Iereshchenko took home the second-place award with a combined time of 58.19, and Alexander Karpov continued his own successful year with a third-place finish and a combined time of 59.50, which bested the fourth-place finisher by more than four seconds.

As the high attendance numbers—and terrific competitive times—show, IBIS GLOCK events have spurred enthusiasm for competitive shooting in Ukraine, including among women and youth shooters. There are four primary classes of shooters in GLOCK IBIS events: Amateur, Lady, Civilian Guardian, and Civilian Master. Certain events also offer team competitions, and IBIS and GLOCK are working to encourage more young people to compete in these matches.

The combined efforts of GLOCK and IBIS are paying dividends in Ukraine. Top shooters are afforded an opportunity to compete for prizes, and a whole new generation of Ukrainian shooters has been drawn to the shooting sports thanks to these events. For those competing internationally or working to compete at that level, it’s quite possible you’ll find yourself shooting against a Ukrainian competitor at your next major event—and if you are, be prepared. Not only is it a safe bet these Ukrainian champions have GLOCKs in their holsters, they sure know how to shoot them!