NRAI president seeks larger shooter pool for consistency

NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo said India’s shooters had a decent outing at the recently concluded Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, winning 15 medals including 3 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze, finishing second behind China. However, he expressed disappointment with the men’s air pistol event, where India drew a blank, and attributed the inconsistency to frequent changes in the squad.

Deo noted that while the selection policy uses a rolling average of scores, the constant turnover prevents athletes from gaining experience and disrupts sports science support. He said the NRAI is considering working with a larger pool of athletes, possibly beyond the core team, and introduced a policy of sending two teams to international competitions. The NRAI is waiting for the World Championships to conclude before addressing the issue further.

Meanwhile, Indian shooters selected for the ISSF World Championship in Doha, scheduled from November 1 to 14, 2026, will begin a preparatory camp at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi from Thursday, 22 October 2026. The camp will feature staggered training schedules for different disciplines, with athletes like Asian Games gold medallists Neeru Dhanda and Suruchi Singh participating.