The Muzzle Loaders Associations International Committee (MLAIC) is the world governing body for competition with

muzzle-loading A muzzleloader is any firearm in which the user loads the projectile and the propellant charge into the muzzle end of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern designs of breech-loading fire ...

firearms, both originals (made prior to 1900) and replicas thereof. MLAIC organises World Championships on even-numbered years, with European and Long Range Championships run in odd-numbered years. In 2022,

Deutscher Schützenbund The German Shooting Sport and Archery Federation (, DSB) is the largest umbrella organization for sport shooters in Germany. It was founded in 1861 in Gotha and re-founded in 1951 in Frankfurt / Main. DSB was Germany's fourth-largest sports ass ...

hosted the 29th World Championship in

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

, Germany.

History

According to early secretary general Paul Marchand, the organization was preceded by the

Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain The Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain was formed in 1952 and is the governing body for muzzle loading within the UK. It is recognized by the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Committee. Its objectives are to encourage an int ...

, founded in 1952, then the French equivalent, , in 1962. Competition between the two, followed by similar organizations popping up in Italy and Germany, led to an initial international championship in

Vaudoy-en-Brie Vaudoy-en-Brie () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Demographics Inhabitants of Vaudoy-en-Brie are called ''Vaudoyens''. See also *Communes of the Seine-et-Marne department T ...

, France, in 1971. From there, a provisory international committee gave way to the foundation of the MLAIC. Its first championship was hosted by the

Real Federacion Española de Tiro Olimpico The Royal Spanish Olympic Shooting Federation, ''Spanish'' Real Federación Española de Tiro Olímpico (RFETO), organizes all shooting sports in Spain and is amongst other a member of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), the ...

in Madrid on 23 and 24 September 1972.

Member nations

The European Zone consists of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

Netherlands,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, Poland, Portugal,

Slovak Republic Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...

, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The Pacific Zone consists of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. Correspondent nations without member status are Brazil, Croatia, Greece,

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, India and Russia.

Secretaries general

* 1970 – 2002: Capt. Paul Marchand, France * 2002 – 2003: Andrew Courtney, Great Britain * 2003 – 2007: Donald (Bucky) Malson, USA * 2007 – 2008: Kim Atkinson, Australia (Temp) * 2008 – 2016: David Brigden, Great Britain * 2016 – 2024: Gerhard Lang, Germany * 2024 – Current: Gerda Lejeune, Nederland

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website

Long-Range Muzzle-Loading website
Shooting sports organizations Muzzleloading