There are due to be a total of 716 competitive starts at the event, scheduled to run until March 12, as some of the athletes will compete in more than one discipline.

"Considering the fact that this year Championship is held only a few months after the Olympic Games that usually conclude competitive cycles, we are very satisfied with the number of athletes’ entries that will compete in Maribor," Organising Committee President Ljubo Germič said.  

"A number of champions and medallists of European or World Championships as well as Olympic Games are participating in the Championship, so we expect the competition to be at the very high level."

Action will take place at two venues with qualification rounds and running target competing being held in Draš Center and the final rounds and medal matches being hosted by Turner Hall in the nearby Hotel Habakuk.

Both venues are situated just outside the city of Maribor, under Pohorje hills, which is internationally known as a ski and tourist resort.

As part of the continental showpiece, a new team event format will be tested in four competitions the junior women's pistol, junior men's rifle, women's rifle and men's pistol.

If athletes and spectators like the new format for air pistol and air rifle team events, the European Shooting Confederation (ESC) has said it could become "official" starting from the 2018 European 10m Championship.

The ESC is striving to make the sport more attractive for audiences both at venues and watching on television.

"We see these steps are very important for popularisation and future development of our sport," Germič added.

The event will be shown live on television across the continent as part of an agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

It will be available to those interested in screening the competition, with the host nation’s national public broadcaster - RTV Slovenija - arranging the production.

They will also be responsible for transmitting the signal to the EBU.