Olympic silver medalist Vijay Kumar has written to Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), expressing frustration and disappointment at being overlooked for a national coaching position earlier this year. Said Vijay in his letter to Kalikesh, a copy of which is with indianshooting.com.
In the letter, Kumar stated, “I am writing to you to remind you of our conversation a few months ago. I had reached out to you after being ignored by the selection committee for the position of Pistol coach of the Indian Shooting team in February 2025 and you had assured me of a relook at the decision.”
“It pains me to drop in a reminder about the same,” he added.
“My achievements for India are unparalleled and I consider it my duty to help the next generation of Indian shooters dominate the international arena,” he wrote. “Winning medals at Olympics and other top-flight competitions requires mental preparation along with shooting talent and you would agree that I possess those skillsets in abundance.”
Kumar expressed dismay over the lack of feedback: “I had reached out to the NRAI Secretary General and members of the selection committee to understand the reasons for my non-selection to the coaching panel but did not receive any satisfactory answer.”
“Feedback is extremely important and any reason for my non-selection should be shared with me to ensure I adapt myself to the requirements of the post.”
While noting that “there are some extremely fine coaches who have been selected for these posts and many of them have been my teammates in my two-decade career as an international shooter,” he criticized some of the selections: “The selection committee has also in its wisdom selected candidates who have no comparable achievements and also those with a history of doping, or have been sanctioned on disciplinary grounds.”
He added, “I find it demotivating to see that a few with no international experience or any performance for the country have also been selected at my expense.”
Referencing India’s recent Olympic success, Kumar wrote, “Indian shooting is back on its perch after the triple medal haul at Paris 2024 and we need to ensure there is sustained success at Los Angeles and Brisbane.”
“I am eager to help mould the next generation and urge you to intervene in this matter.”
He also mentioned, “It was mentioned to me that I would be associated with the Junior team at the proposed HPC but there has been no intimation or movement in that regard as well.”
Kumar concluded with a firm appeal: “I urge you to kindly intervene in this matter and ensure I am treated with the respect deserving of an Olympic medallist.”