NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang today inaugurated the 3rd All India Digvijay Singh Memorial Air Rifle/Air Pistol Championship at Noida's Billabong High International School.
The championship will run from Nov 11-14 and has already seen more than 480 registrations from all over India.
Olympian PN Prakash is expected to take the field on Tuesday.
It is being organised by the UP State Rifle Association and conducted by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body of shooting sport in India.
Speaking on the occasion, rifle ace Narang, who recently returned after winning silver at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane, said, "It is really exciting to see shooting spreading its wings in this country and schools slowly but surely embracing the sport.
"It is from schools that Olympic champions of tomorrow will emerge. I commend Billabong High in taking this initiative to host the 3rd All India Digvijay Singh Memorial Air Rifle/Air Pistol Championship and I am very happy to be here and see students excited to know about the sport." "Shooting is a game of focus and precision. We're delighted to host this championship and set encouraging examples for young shooters to take up the sport enthusiastically and excel in it. We wish all the best to all the participants." The tournament is open to ISSF shooters and the qualifiers of 61st NSCC.
The events of this competition will follow rules set by ISSF Air Rifle Qualification (non-decimal) as they will be played on paper targets. According to these rules, the key element of this tournament clearly outlines that participants of the rifle category cannot participate in the pistol category and vice versa.
Winner of the championship (pistol/rifle) will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 50,000 for gold medal, Rs 30,000 for silver and Rs 20,000 for bronze.