Pune: Gun For Glory’s Pawan Singh becomes first Indian shooting jury at Tokyo Olympics

Pawan Singh, founder-director, Gun For Glory Shooting Academy, Pune, and the Joint Secretary-General of the National Rifle Association Of India (NRAI) is all set to officiate as jury at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. Singh, a Pune resident, runs the shooting academy Gun For Glory at Balewadi.

With a total of 26 jury members who will make it to the Olympics, Singh will become the first Indian ever to officiate at the Olympics. For the record, 20 jury members are from other countries while 6 jury members will be from Japan.

To become a jury, people have to clear exams at different levels which are part of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) courses.

Singh was the competition manager of the recent ISSF World Cup which took place in New Delhi. His work was widely appreciated by the international body ISSF. He also worked as a Result Timing Score (RTS) Jury in different World Cups. His work at international events has been flawless because of which Singh was selected in the ISSF Committee.

Speaking on the occasion Singh said, “For any sport to grow, there have to be four pillars which include athletes, coaches, federation and judges/jury. There have been a lot of efforts which have been taken for the upliftment of sports. Currently, three pillars have become very strong at the global level. Athletes and Coaches have got the necessary training. Meanwhile, the Federations have established themselves well using their connections. Sadly, not much is done for the jury which can strengthen their position in the system.”

“I am grateful to one and all who have supported me in my journey so far. I am looking forward to the Tokyo Olympic Games which has been a dream for me. The inspiration and support I have received will drive me to give my best at the Games and make India proud,” Singh said.

On the Indian shooting contingent’s chances at the Tokyo Olympics, Singh said, “The shooting contingent for Tokyo Olympics consists of 15 athletes which is the biggest till date and the strongest one, the reason being we have three world number ones, five world number twos, and one world number three shooters. We also have other players who are in the top ten in the world ranking, due to which our team is strong compared to the previous years and hence the medal hopes are high.”