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Indian official claims shooting absence fromBirmingham 2022 would alienatesubcontinentBy Michael Pavitt& Friday, 6 September 2019

National Rifle Association of India President Raninder Singhhas claimed the International Shooting Sport Federation(ISSF) have offered financial assistance to have the sportincluded at Birmingham 2022 and suggested its absencerisks alienating the subcontinent.

Singh made the claims in a 184-page report entitled: "Theremoval of shooting from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – facts, findingsand recommendations."

The report was initially sent to India's Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, who then wrote toBritain's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nicky Morgan urgingher to intervene in the row.

Shooting, while not a compulsory Commonwealth Games sport, has been part of everyevent since Kingston 1966, with the exception of Edinburgh 1970.

India has traditionally been strong in the sport, winning 16 medals, including sevengolds, at Gold Coast 2018.

Shooting was not included on the Birmingham 2022 programme, prompting the IndianOlympic Association (IOA) to threaten to boycott the event.

Birmingham 2022 has claimed it did not have the facilities to accommodate shootingand was not prepared to host it at the Bisley National Shooting Centre, more than 130miles away.

India have enjoyed significant success in shooting at the Commonwealth Games©Getty Images

Singh dismissed concerns over the potential cost of shooting’s inclusion on the Gamesprogramme and the distance to Bisley, the range which has been proposed bysupporters for any potential competition.

He claimed the ISSF have pledged financial support to any competition, which hebelieves would ease any potential burden on organisers.

"Through this and in the presence of the President Vladimir Lisin and the secretarygeneral Alexander Ratner, the ISSF very generously offered to completely finance at anestimated £780,000 ($960,000/€870,000), the refurbishment of all equipment necessaryto bring Bisley to a finely tuned mark for the conduct of the shooting events,” Singhwrote.

"No further investment is warranted on the range as all the infrastructure required toconduct the Games is existent since Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games wereconducted on this very range.

"The second issue stated, that since Bisley is at a distance of 130 kilometres fromBirmingham, such a distance necessitates the requirements of a satellite village to becreated to house the requisite athletes and official nearby Bisley itself.

"This is an additional cost to the Organising Committee that it may not be able toburden.

"When one observes, that the Organising Committee shall be transporting cyclingathletes to the London Velodrome on a daily basis, one is struck by the fact that Bisleyis much closer to Birmingham than London.

"Strangely the same standard and yardstick of finding a requirement for a satellitevillage for the cycling athletes and official does not find mention, yet for shooting itdoes?

"Shooting as a sport is quite adept to two hours there and back.”

The ISSF has offered to contribute towards hosting shooting at Birmingham 2022©ISSF

Singh claimed the Indian subcontinent would be negatively impacted from shooting’sabsence from Birmingham 2022.

He noted that Bangladesh’s two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games have comein shooting, while the sport was responsible for one of Sri Lanka’s four golds.

A total of 63 of India’s 181 gold medals since 1966 have come in shooting.

Singh included letters in the report highlighting the support of several BritishGovernment officials for having shooting included on the programme.

He claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would raise the issue with Britishcounterpart Boris Johnson, as he reportedly had done with Johnson’s predecessorTheresa May.

Singh questioned whether alienating the Indian subcontinent would be a wise decisionfor Britain as the Government prepare to leave the European Union.

"The analysis in this paper clearly points out to a disadvantage targeted towards thenations in the Indian subcontinent,” Singh wrote.

“It is pertinent to note that India and its neighbours contain a large population size thataspires to not only compete but also to promote the Commonwealth Games.

"The President of the ISSF, Mr Lisin has extended his support to the President of theCommonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in terms of financial assistance to help negatecosts incurred for the re-introduction of shooting sports at Birmingham 2022, as well asoffered any additional support in excess of this that the Commonwealth Games maydesire.

"Finally, as he has most graciously done in the past, we once again look to our PrimeMinister Shri. Narendra Modi Ji to take up the matter bilaterally with his counterpart MrBoris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK, at his earliest convenience.

"The timing for our Governments intervention cannot be better as the new Governmentthat has just taken office in the UK is surprisingly stacked with cabinet ministers whoare and remain supportive of our sports re-inclusion for 2022.

“Besides, the host nation’s top current political agenda is driven by the issue of Brexit,given that this shall leave the host nation rather aloof post such an exit completion,would this most hospitable host nation choose to alienate 1.45 billion Commonwealthmembers as well?”

CGF chief executive David Grevemberg has claimed some of the blame rests with theISSF ©Getty Images

The IOA carried out its threat to boycott the CGF General Assembly in Rwanda thisweek.

It is due to discuss whether to boycott Birmingham 2022 at a meeting later this month,but CGF President Dame Louise Martin and chief executive David Grevemberg hope tohold talks with them in November.

Grevemberg claimed earlier this week that some of the blame for shooting beingdropped from the programme for only the second time in 56 years was down to theISSF.

He claimed that, unlike other world governing bodies, the ISSF did little to promoteshooting in the Commonwealth.

"The ISSF needs to take some responsibility in terms of development of shootingacross the Commonwealth," Grevemberg said.

"It is not just a matter of we like shooting or we don't like shooting.

"The ISSF needs to engage with us.

"We are committed to engaging shooting, as well as India."

Related stories

September 2019: Birmingham 2022 given multi-million pound cash boost by UKGovernmentSeptember 2019: CGF President to lead India visit and dissuade Birmingham2022 boycott threatAugust 2019: British Shooting to explore hosting CommonwealthChampionships in 2022 following Birmingham exclusionAugust 2019: Birmingham 2022 "very hopeful" Indian boycott of CommonwealthGames can be avoidedAugust 2019: Australia should boycott Birmingham 2022 if shooting not added toprogramme, claims union

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Michael Pavitt Senior reporter

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Since joining insidethegames.biz in 2015, Michael Pavitt hascovered a variety of international multi-sport events, includingthe Baku 2015 European Games, the Toronto 2015 PanAmerican Games, Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games and Taipei2017 Summer Universiade. He also reported on the UCIPresidential election in Bergen in 2017, as well as attending theIOC Session in Lima and three ANOC General Assemblies.

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