Shooters in Kuwait but Asian event in doubt

Just a couple of days before it begins, the shooters due to compete at the Asian Championship in Kuwait have been verbally informed by the organisers that the event has been cancelled and rescheduled owing to the ongoing dispute between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC). However, till late Thursday night, there was no official communication made as the hosts are trying to work out a temporary solutions to ensure the tournament begins on November 2, as scheduled.

More than 100 shooters (junior and senior) and officials make up the Indian contingent out of which approximately 60, including the entire senior team, are already in Kuwait to get acclimatised ahead of the tournament.

The Asian Championship is the last chance for the shooters to book quota places for next year’s Rio Olympics and India were hoping to add at least five more spots to the existing eight over the next one week.

However, their plans have been severely jeopardised now. National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh said they have heard about the tournament being cancelled but haven’t been informed officially yet.

“I have heard rumours that the tournament is cancelled but we do not have a definite take yet. We have not heard from anyone yet so we are all still in the dark. I have been trying to talk to ISSF and find out but they are saying it’s an Asian Shooting thing. Like everyone, we are waiting to hear from them on the issue,” Raninder told The Indian Express. “Our shooters are there preparing for the tournament till the time we hear something concrete.”

The tournament was under a cloud ever since IOC suspended the Kuwaiti body citing government interference. The ban also prevents Kuwait from hosting any international tournament, which forced the KOC officials to approach a local court, which upheld the ban.

It is learnt that the Asian Shooting Federation, headed by Kuwaiti sports minister Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Homud Al-Sabah, was in talks with International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) top bosses to convince the IOC and give them the green signal. The ISSF and IOC officials are in Washington for the Association of National Olympic Committee general assembly, where they might discuss the issue.

If the tournament is indeed cancelled, it will be converted into an invitational tournament with no significance as, like India, a few other countries too decided to send their shooters ahead of schedule. The official arrival of the shooters is scheduled for November 1, with the opening ceremony slated for next day and actual tournament to begin from November 3. More than 40 countries have confirmed  participation in the championships.

A senior Indian shooter said the last-minute change of plans will impact their preparations severely. “We have been preparing for this tournament since a long time since it was the last chance to book a berth for Rio Games.

If it is rescheduled, it will have a domino effect as we have the national championship in December and the Olympic selection trials after that. It puts the whole calender in turmoil,” the shooter said.

So far, India have won just eight quotas in shooting, coming from Jitu Rai, Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Gurpreet Singh, Prakash Ponappa, Chain Singh, Mairaj Khan and Apurvi Chandela.

Bindra resigns from TOPS

Abhinav Bindra resigned from sports ministry’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) committee, saying he is busy preparing for the Olympics. In a letter to TOPS chairman Anurag Thakur, Bindra — a part of talent identifying committee — wrote: “As you are aware that the Olympic Games are about 10 months away, I am completely engrossed in my training and preparations. I agreed to be a part of the TOPS committee as I wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the scheme specially from view of the athletes… Since I will have no time to spare during the next year to actively contribute towards the scheme, I don’t feel it appropriate to continue as a member on the committee.”

However, sources said another reason that could have played a role in Bindra quitting was government’s inability to execute the scheme as planned. Several sportspersons have complained about the scheme, lashing out at the ministry’s inability to disburse money on time. ENS