WARRNAMBOOL won't get the Olympic Games, but yesterday evening the Civic Green gave locals and visitors a taste of the excitement when representatives of 26 teams in the world sporting clay target shooting championships assembled in national colours and flags.The international sporting carnival has brought 668 competitors from 22 nations for the four-day competition at the Laang range.Events start at 8.30am this morning and will finish Sunday for a closing ceremony and medals presentation about 7pm.Yesterday it was Warrnambool's chance to roll out the welcome mat for shooters and officials who were officially invited to sample the region's hospitality and scenery.Local primary school pupils carried signs for each nation followed by participants in a colourful street march from Cannon Hill.Warrnambool mayor Michael Neoh and Moyne mayor Ken Gale congratulated the local branch of the Field and Game Federation of Australia for winning the right to host the prestigious event and organising the program. Even a worrying hitch in obtaining a liquor licence for the bushland shooting range was solved this week with a temporary licence through the on-site events caterer. Participants will be able to drink while socialising in the catering venue.Saturday night’s official dinner at the range features an impressive menue of local produce including abalone, hare, rabbit and duck soup, duck entree, smoked eel, hare and rabbit terrine, local tuna and roast deer finishing with berries in port wine and shiraz jelly.Event organising committee spokesman Malcolm Price said spectators could enter the Laang range free of charge and watch the competition from designated areas. Shooters sampled the range in the past three practice days. Each competitor shoots 50 targets a day to determine the individual and teams world champions in open, women’s, juniors, veterans and super veterans classes.