Bindra-led panel to monitor 2 national camps: NRAI

In a departure from practice, the National Rifle Association of India, which is aiming to restore the sanctity of national camps, will let the Abhinav Bindra-led Rio Games review panel to supervise two of the four technical national camps slated early next year.

NRAI president Raninder Singh said on Saturday that while the camps will be, like in the past, conducted by the federation, it will allow the committee, formed in the aftermath of the Rio Olympics debacle, to supervise.

“We will have four national camps (technical) for senior and junior and we will have the Abhinav Bindra-led review panel supervise two camps. We are ready to learn and accept the inputs they give us to raise the standard. There is no thing called ego and our only aim is to win medals,” Raninder said on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony.

In a bid to ensure that medal prospects for the 2020 Olympics get sustained help in the next four years, the Sports Ministry had directed the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to identify potential medallists by the end of this month.

Asked about its feasibility, Raninder said, “I can say that we will have the selection criteria for 2020 Tokyo Olympics up on our website in April 2017. We will write to the Ministry and explain our point of view. We understand that the Ministry has given its directions as a whole and not just for a single sport like shooting. Every sport has its own selection criteria and procedures.”

Medal winners of India’s junior shooting squad at the recently-concluded International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Gabala, Azerbaijan, were felicitated by NRAI at a function held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.

The team won a total of 24 medals in the competition, including nine gold, five silver and 10 bronze medals to finish an impressive second in the overall medals tally. Russia topped the table with a 

total of 25 medals including 12 gold medals.