November 11, 2026
By Brian Booth
The 48th Annual World FITASC Championship was held July 16 –19, 2026, at the Clube de Tiro de Vale das Pedras in Ota, Portugal. Located roughly one hour’s drive north of Lisbon, it was a great location and a superb event. This was my fifth World FITASC and it is the one tournament each year that I do not want to miss. I became hooked at Orvieto in 2022 when I realized that it was the combination of quality people and travels to unique places that made the difference to me. I was not simply a tourist; I was an invited guest and there to complete...and I wanted to experience the land, sites, culture, food, and of course, the wines.
Let’s first talk about this year’s competition. There were roughly 800 shooters from 43 different countries, which is amazing. I was a bit disappointed in this year’s opening ceremony as it felt like we were in an undecorated high school gymnasium, but it was great to see all the countries being represented. The highlight for me that night was meeting Tom Seay as we were waiting in line for our shooter’s packet. Tom went on to win the event by breaking 187 of 200 targets – and those targets were tough. Kudos to several Americans for finishing in the top 10, including Derrick Mein, taking 3rd; Todd Hitch 4th; Joe Fanizzi, and my coach, the legendary Anthony Matarese, Jr, who tied at 8th. Team USA claimed the podium in the Men’s Open Division, the Ladies Team Division, the Junior Team Division, and took Second in the Veteran’s Team Division.
Photo: Brian and Nancy at Opening Ceremonies.
I was fortunate enough to shoot with an incredible squad of shooters from France, Spain, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, and Kuwait. The camaraderie was tremendous. The land was dry and was pleading for rain…think brown grass but lush green trees and rolling hills. The target setters used it all to their advantage, as befits a world championship. I didn’t shoot particularly well, but I had a few moments that gave me hope. After a very rough start where I stubbornly held on too long to the targets, I ended up running all my singles on the very last parcours. For a guy like me, that’s all it takes for me to want to come back, and I will forget about the rest of it!
On a side note – I was very impressed with the B&P Flash ammo. I shot the 7 ½'s at 1300 fps – but the recoil was relatively soft. Special thanks to Rodney Disbrow and Zach Kienbaum as they were behind me in the ammo line and took pity on me trying to convert meters per second to feet per second! They said to just grab the B&P Flash and you’ll be fine. They were spot on.
During the tournament, my fiancé, Nancy, and I opted to stay in Lisbon, trading the longer commute to the venue for the experience of Portugal’s capital city. We learned about The Age of Discovery and the feats of legends like Henry the Navigator & Vasco da Gama as Portugal took control of the spice trade in the 15th – 16th centuries and transformed Portugal from a small nation on the edge of Europe into the world's first global maritime empire. This point was driven home by a visit to the Belém Waterfront where we saw the Jerónimos Monastery (Vasco da Gama's final resting place) and the iconic Belém Tower. Later that night we were enveloped by the haunting, powerful Fado music amidst the intimate warmth of A Tasca do Chico, a classic Portuguese Fado Bar. Another evening we experienced the raw passion of watching the World Cup semifinals in a true soccer nation as Spain & Argentina moved on to the finals.
Photo: Brian discreetly carries his shotguns through Lisbon in the Tournament Vault.
There was one thing I didn’t plan on that really could have been an issue. We stayed at the IHG Vignette Collection in Convent Square – an amazing 13th-century convent turned elegant Lisbon hotel. The only downside was that this section of town was pedestrian only and we had to park at another hotel. That required a healthy walk through downtown Lisbon with my shotgun. This felt like Orvieto all over again…fortunately this time I had the finished version Tournament Vault with me, and I was able to discreetly backpack my K-80 back & forth each day. I also felt better about being able to secure my gun in the back of the rented Volvo – after all, I was driving in unfamiliar lands and the Portuguese drivers were pretty enthusiastic. I can’t tell you the number of times when out of nowhere a more powerful Mercedes or BMW felt like they were in my back seat, nudging me out of the way. The speed limit (aka suggestion signs) seemingly irrelevant. The accident risk was considerably higher than on the familiar roads back home and I felt better knowing my shotgun was secure in the event of a serious bender. I also liked being able to lock up my gun in every hotel room we stayed in. That additional piece of mind made the trip more stress-free.
If you have not been to a World FITASC, I really encourage it. Some folks go with the hopes of winning, but we are all there to compete. And we are all better off for the adventure.
After the competition, Nancy and I made our way from Lisbon to the Douro Valley wine country. It was fascinating to see the role that wine has had in this region for hundreds of years – but more on that in Part II.
Brian is an avid upland bird hunter, competitive sporting clays shooter, & conservationist. He travels extensively in these pursuits and is the founder of Sporting LTD. He has been a strong supporter and an Honorary Captain of the US Sporting Clays Team since 2023.