Shooters ask for relaxation in selection criteria, NRAI refuses

Top shooters of the country have requested the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for relaxation in criteria for Paris Olympic selection trials, so that they can take part in it.

The shooters include Asian Games medalists and multiple international level medalists.

Only five shooters in each category based on their national ranking and Qualification Ranking for the Olympic Games (QROG) points are eligible to appear for trials, as per the selection criteria of NRAI. 

Four trials are scheduled in Delhi and Bhopal to select the pistol and rifle contingent for the 2024 Olympic Games, with the winners booking their tickets to Paris.

The first two Olympic Selection Trials (OSTs) will be held at the Karni Singh Range here from April 18-27, while the remaining two are scheduled in Bhopal from May 10-19.

However, the shooters who have won Paris quota for the country are not in peak form while some shooters who have shot consistently well but just one rank bad score has seen them slip out of the top-five.

All such shooters felt that they should also be allowed to participate in the selection trials as they had missed the spots by minimal margins.

NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI on Friday that five shooters had written to the federation for their names to be included in the upcoming trials.

"So far there is no change in the criteria. We are following them. Yes, we have received letters from five shooters requesting their names to be included in the trials, but we are not changing the criteria. There is no (NRAI) meeting scheduled (to change the criteria)," Bhatia told PTI.

It is learnt that couple of Asian Games medalist shooters have requested the federation to include their name as they slipped out top five because of just one bad score.

India has won record highest 19 quotas for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

(With PTI Inputs)