CHENNAI: “This is pathbreaking and innovative…” National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh’s words summed up the unprecedented move of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to approve hosting of the Commonwealth shooting and archery championships at Chandigarh in January 2022. After months of parleying, CGF agreed to add the medals to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games tally, but a week after the Games in July-August.
This hosting of events in different countries, going by CGF CEO David Grevemberg’s words, could pave way for multi-nation hosts. Not just this, the shooting discipline to be held in Chandigarh will have more events than Gold Coast in 2018 without increasing the number of athletes over 10 days. Shooting getting dropped from Birmingham led India to even call for a boycott of the Games.
“We will host 23 events, four more than Gold Coast,” said Singh. “Other than the rifle and pistol mixed team events, one in shot gun – skeet – too will be added.” The budget will be less. According to Singh, the budget for shooting is just Rs 9.91cr and for archery, it is Rs 3.27 crore. Singh said the shooting will be funded by NRAI.
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In all 418 shooters, officials and CGF dignitaries are expected (281 athletes; 47 officials/support staff; 30 ISSF jury; 15 CGF/Birmingham OC invitees; 5 technical staff; 40 range officials from India). In archery, 175 athletes and officials are expected.
He said the sports minister, Kiren Rijjiu, secretary RS Julaniya and SAI DG Sandeep Pradhan along with IOA president Narinder Batra and secretary-general Rajeev Mehta played a big role. “It took us 60 days since December 5 when we proposed this unique opportunity to International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) to complete the procedure.” He lauded the efforts of ISSF president Vladimir Lisin and secretary-general Alexander Ratner.
NRAI president Raninder Singh said the Indian body would take care of all expenses during the Commonwealth Championships. “Besides hosting them, we will give all athletes and officials free air travel,” he said. However, he clarified that if some country exceeds the limit, then they will have to take care of the extra persons. “And what more, the NRAI will take care of the entire expense,” he said.
Singh also felt this would give nations without proper infrastructure in particular sports opportunities to host the Games. “A cost-effective and inclusive methodology has been created for bidding nations to partner in a limited manner, based on the non-existence of infrastructure within the bidding nation/city’s area, with their brother Commonwealth nations that do have existing infrastructure of quality where specific events may be conducted in the future even more unitedly than now,” he said.
The NRAI president said the entire sub-continent lent support to this initiative. Bangladesh has been a big support. “They have shooters who have won Commonwealth Games medals so they were backing our proposal. Even Pakistan... you can say the entire subcontinent was with us,” he said.
Singh revealed that the whole process started on December 5 on the sidelines of the ISSF general assembly.
He said a meeting took place between the top brass of ISSF, NRAI and Commonwealth Shooting Federation and the CGF headed by its president Dame Louis Martin and CEO David Grevemberg. “It took us around two and a half months to complete formalities,” he said.