Horst Schreiber, the secretary general of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), offered his support to the venue which has been fiercely criticised by the sport's officials in Britain.

They claim that it will not offer shooting any legacy after the Games are finished.

They have called for it to be moved to the National Shooting Centre at Bisley or for a new centre in Dartford or Barking to be built.

But Schreiber has given Woolwich his support because of its central location and history, which he claims offer the sport a unique opportunity to promote itself.

He said: "In previous Games, shooting has always been outside the city, and so far away, so we are delighted to be in the city itself.

"On top of this, the Barracks has a long association with shooting and military history that goes back over 100 years.

"This will really help us showcase the sport of shooting in 2012.

"It will boost the sport's profile tremendously.

"We do not want to be somewhere isolated outside London with only a satellite village."

Hugh Robertson, a former soldier who is now the Conservatives spokesman on the Olympics, has also criticised the venue because of the major operational problems in using the Barracks.

Schreiber does not forsee any problems, however.

He said: "We were very impressed with what we saw.

"The venue meets all our requirements and it is so close to the Olympic Village, which is so important for us - it is really important to our athletes so that they are close to the action, and do not waste unnecessary time travelling.

"It is good to bring athletes of different sports together at Games time and for our athletes to be able to sample other sports within the Borough of Greenwich – basketball, equestrian, gymnastics and modern pentathlon.

"We are all very excited at the ISSF about Woolwich and look forward to working with all parties involved to develop detailed plans for the event."