CHENNAI: The National Rifle Association of India's (NRAI) decision to start the national camp for the 34-member Olympic core group from August 1 and make attendance compulsory has left some shooters anxious. 

The mandatory attendance that too within less than two weeks has made things complicated for those shooters who hail from hard-hit states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The decision was taken at a meeting of NRAI's governing body. The camp will be organised at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. The shooters, however, have not received any official communication as yet. Since the NRAI is de-recognised by sports ministry due to the Delhi High Court order, it needs to be seen who intimates the shooters.

"We don't have any problem with our shooters attending the camp. In a way, it's a good thing but again a lot of things including travel plans and COVID testing have to be done before undertaking the journey, which itself will be risky at the moment," a coach, who is training three core group shooters at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy, told this daily on condition of the anonymity.

The NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia confirmed to this daily that the shooters have to assemble by July 31 or August 1. 

"They can attend the camp straightaway without undergoing a mandatory quarantine period," Bhatia added. The association has appointed High-Performance Manager and former India shooter Ronak Pandit as the nodal officer in charge of overall coordination for hygiene and medical protocols of the camp.

"...utmost and most meticulous planning needs to be placed above all in the very strictest and most sterile conditions that we must now assure," NRAI President Raninder Singh was quoted as saying. 

"The health and safety of the players and coaches being paramount, we cannot afford any loose ends. NRAI can today say that it is fully prepared to resume a cautious and phased recommencement of National Shooting activities from next month," he added.

The Manav Rachna University campus, which is an International Shooting Sport Federation training academy and located close to the range, will house the core group, coaches and support staff during the camp. NRAI would also arrange transport to and from the venue.

The shooters will be required to submit a "valid and recent Covid-19 test result from their home locations and only then shall they be permitted to join the camp". The association will also release a standard operating procedure a week before the start of the camp.