SADF Champion Shot Medal

The SADF Champion Shot Medal is a military medal that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1975. It was awarded to the champion shots of the annual South African Defence Force Shooting Championships in the categories of fullbore, smallbore, pistol and service shooting. The award could be won multiple times, with each subsequent award indicated by a bar.

The South African military
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994 it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

Orders, decorations and medals
In April 1952 a series of military decorations and medals was instituted, consisting of substitutes for many of the British and Commonwealth awards which had earlier been used. More decorations and medals, as well as an emblem for being mentioned in dispatches, were added between 1953 and 1970. In July 1975 the military decorations and medals of the Republic were revised. Some decorations and medals were carried over from the earlier series of 1952-1975 and new awards were instituted, followed by more between 1987 and 1991. Finally, all but one of these earlier awards were discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when a new set of nine decorations and medals was instituted to replace them.

Fount of Honour
Until 1958 the top three awards were reserved for conferment by the Queen while the rest were awarded by the Governor-General, but in 1958 the Governor-General was authorised to also award the top three. In 1961 the State President became the Fount of Honour, and in 1994 the President.

Award criteria for the SADF Champion Shot Medal
From 1975 the SADF Champion Shot Medal was awarded to the champion shots of the annual South African Defence Force Shooting Championships in the categories of fullbore, smallbore, pistol and service shooting. The award could be won multiple times and each subsequent award was indicated by the addition of a bar.

Order of precedence
The position of the SADF Champion Shot Medal in the official order of precedence was revised twice after 1975 to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first with the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994 and again with the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on both occasions.


 * Official SANDF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Commandant General's Medal of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the National Cadet Bisley Grand Champion Medal of the Republic of South Africa.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Commandant General's Medal of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the National Cadet Bisley Grand Champion Medal of the Republic of South Africa.

Description
The SADF Champion Shot Medal is a medallion struck in silver, 3 millimetres thick at the centre and 38 millimetres in diameter, depicting the five-pointed outline of the Castle of Good Hope with a laurel between the two points at the bottom and proteas between the others. A roundel in the centre has crossed rifles over a shooting target with a shooting range in the background and is inscribed "SAW KAMPIOENSKUT-MEDALJE" and "SADF CHAMPION SHOT MEDAL" below the target. The ribbon hanger is decorated with leaves.
 * Obverse

The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms and the medal number is stamped at the bottom of the medal on the rim.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is the same as for the Commandant General's Medal, 32 millimetres wide with a 6 millimetres wide light blue band and a 7 millimetres wide dark orange band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 6 millimetres wide navy blue band in the centre. Dark orange, light blue and navy blue are the colours of the three Arms of the Service, the South African Army, the South African Air Force and the South African Navy.
 * Ribbon

The bar is of silver and has a shooting target embossed in the centre.
 * Bar

Discontinuation
Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.