20 May 2009. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has been forced to do a U-Turn, after their announcement a couple of weeks back that they were excluding Olympic medallists Abhinav Bindra and Rajyavardhan Rathore from the list of core group.

When we talk of shooting sports in the country, it is difficult to exclude Athens Olympic silver-medallist in double trap, Rathore, and Beijing games champion in air rifle, Bindra, from the core group, constituted for the preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. More so when the games are being held on home soil. Rifle shooter Anjali Bhagwat too is learnt to have been included in the core group.

Of course, all three above shooters were in the first list of core group, but had hinted at taking a break from competitions, after the 2008 Beijing games. But, yet to return back!

A few days ago, the federation had talked about excluding shooters who weren’t performing, from the camps (read core group). Since Rathore, Bindra who were conspicuous by their absence from the camps, it was obvious they would have to be replaced by some top shooters.

In the recent past, neither Bindra nor Rathore had participated in any international competitions and also kept themselves away from the series of recent ISSF World Cups. But on the basis of performance in the recent past, over a dozen shooters had to face the exist door from the core group. Some were lucky to make the core group for the next preparatory camp.

Core Group issue haunt shooters

Recently, when federation had submitted list of shooters for the international shooting competition in Suhl, Germany, for government clearance, it refused to grant financial assistance to those shooters who weren’t in the core group. This left several shooters to dig from their own resource to board the flight.

And, a delayed government clearance coupled with mix up in arranging travel documents, among those who couldn’t board the flight was Sikander Mann.

Mann had won silver in junior men’s air pistol event in the nationals, which was why he was considered for the German tournament. Since he wasn’t part of the core group, he had to run from pillar to post to make his passage for Suhl.

In the first week of June, a bunch of juniors are expected to compete in Pilsen (Meeting of Shooting Hopes), Czech Republic. Since many of them are not in the core group, the issue of financial assistance will crop up again.

NRAI off target

Last year, when the government (read International Sports Division of the ministry) had asked the federation to come up with details plans for the 2010 Commonwealth, including core group of shooters, the NRAI instead of putting its point forward--saying it will select shooters after the Nationals and not on the basis of previous performance, went ahead and submitted a hurriedly prepared list for the core group.

What added fuel to the fire was, several shooters from the first list of core group failed to live up to expectations in the nationals held in January (2009). And, subsequently, two trials conducted to select the squads for participation in the international competitions including the series of ISSF World Cups.

Since it was binding by the government not to change the core group within a short span of time, it precipitated crisis as the number of shooters increased in the preparatory camp, to which government objected and refused to give financial assistance saying it is supporting 1:4 ratio in each of the discipline, and will not be able to accommodate more shooters.

Going by series of incident in the recent past, the core group issue has become bit of controversial. In the near future, it might infuriate both federation and the Sports Ministry. indianshooting.com

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