Venues and championships Tournaments and competition during beginning to mid-twentieth century were worldwide. In the 1900 Paris Olympics, live pigeon shooting was one of the events. The prize for the winner was 20,000 French Francs (more than US$82,000 in 2017), though the top four finishers agreed to split the prize money. Early to mid-20th century The following table shows the host cities and winners of the pigeon-shooting world championships: A brief list of some of the active venues in the 1950s: Estoril, Portugal - Match of Nations World Championship Monte Carlo, Monaco - Prix de Larvotto and Prix Gaston Rambaud Havana, Cuba - The Pan American Live Pigeon Championship, The Grand Prix Vichy, France - Grand Prix de Vichy Lebanon, Pennsylvania - Miller Memorial Hegins, Pennsylvania - Fred Coleman Memorial Deauville, France - Prix Roger Dubut Paris, France Rome, Italy Milan, Italy Madrid, Spain - Live Bird Championship San Remo, Italy Valencia, Spain Barcelona, Spain - Columbaire Championship Seville, Spain - Columbaire Championship Guadalajara, Mexico - Open Flyer Championship Mexico City, Mexico - World Live Pigeon Championship Cairo, Egypt - Match of Nations In Monte Carlo: 1872 to 1960 Pigeon shooting in Monaco dates back to 1872. The ring was located behind the casino and was in continuous use with live pigeons until 1960, when robotic devices went into use. Slowly, shooting faded out of fashion, and the shooting range was demolished in 1972. After the ring was demolished, a mosaic titled "From the Earth to the Sea" ("De la Terre a la Mer") was installed by Victor Vasarely. The popularity of pigeon shooting at Monte Carlo included creation of new types of gun stocks; the "Monte Carlo" comb. The Olympics Pigeon shooting was a part of the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, but has not been included other times. In Pennsylvania Pigeon shooting in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania dates back to the mid-19th century. The Philadelphia Gun Club overlooking the Delaware River in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, is one of the oldest gun clubs in the United States. Founded in 1877 at the height of the Gilded Age the club opened to many socially prominent gentlemen and their ladies. In 1895 the club acquired the historic Bickley Mansion for use as a club house. The club currently has 61 members. The club attracted many wealthy American sportsmen including several members of the Vanderbilt Family. William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Harry