India elite shooters set for Asian online meet from January 29

CHENNAI: Barring the ongoing national trials, the majority of the Indian shooters have not had any form of competition since the coronavirus pandemic struck India. And the prospect of them returning to normal seems far-fetched even now. But one thing is now certain. With competitions low, the Indians are set to take part in the first Asian Online Shooting Championship later this month. As the name suggests, it will be an online meet.

The tournament, which is due to begin from January 29, is being organised by the Kuwait Shooting Federation and is backed by the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC). The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) confirmed that they'll be naming a team, comprising of elite shooters, for the two-day event.

"The team will be picked by the selection committee and is likely to be announced by January 20," Rajiv Bhatia, NRAI secretary, told this daily. Some of the top shooters including Manu Bhaker and Sanjeev Rajput, to name a few, have participated in online events last year. But this will be the first
time they'll be taking in an authorised competition of this stature.

The likes of Elavenil Valarivan (World No 1) and Shahu Tushar Mane had also taken part in an online event that was conducted by the Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation. Even though it was an authorised meet, that was a smaller competition as compared to the one that is scheduled to be held. Pistol ace Yashaswini Singh Deswal had also claimed gold in International Online Shooting Championship in October last year.

According to the organisers, the competition will feature air rifle/pistol (men and women) and shotgun events — trap and skeet for both men and women. The meet won't have 50m rifle 3 positions or rapid fire events. Each country will be allowed three shooters in every discipline. Medals and certificates will be on offer apart from much-needed exposure.

"The competitions will be held according to the ISSF Rules and Regulations," the letter from the organising body read. All the federations taking part will have to follow strict Covid-19 protocols as per
ISSF guidelines. Satisfied with the conduct of the national trials in Delhi so far, Bhatia said that the online meet will be a shot in the arm for competition-shy shooters as they'll be up against some of the finest in Asia. "Naturally, they'll have a competition. They will be up against some top guns from other Asian countries. So, it is going to be welcome experience," he said.