NRAI's Munich World Cup Decision Slammed by Former Shooter Jaspal Rana

Former Indian shooting ace Jaspal Rana has vehemently criticized the National Rifle Association of India's (NRAI) decision to send Olympic-bound shooters to the World Cup in Munich, commencing on Friday. Rana, an Asian Games gold medalist, questioned the rationale behind selecting Olympic-bound shooters for the World Cup just before the quadrennial event.

Rana emphasized that the World Cup will not benefit shooters in their Olympic preparations, as it is challenging to maintain peak performance for an extended period. "No player wants to perform badly in the World Cup. But if you're at your peak now, will you be at your peak after one month also? Which sports science center will tell you that players can stay at their peak for three months? You can't stay at peak level for long," Rana asserted.

He further criticized the NRAI's inconsistent policy, stating, "The policy was wrong, and when you've made the policy, just stick to it. You're not sticking to your policy. If there is no ranking and point system in the Munich World Cup, why are you delaying the names of the selected shooters for the Olympics? Even if you have to adjust one to two players, then reveal the rest of the players so that they can start their preparations."

Rana suggested that India should have followed the approach adopted by other countries like China and the USA, who have sent their second-string squads to the World Cup in Germany. "Other countries have sent their B or C category squad for the World Cup. Very less Olympic-bound shooters will participate in it. This is not an opportunity for the Olympic team," he said.

With less than two months remaining for the Paris Olympics, there is still no clarity on India's shooting squad for the event. Rana expressed concern about the lack of leadership within the NRAI, stating, "I've failed to understand that if NRAI doesn't have the president, chairman of the selection committee, and policy-making committee, then how are they selecting the team? It could be one of the reasons that the chairman of the NRAI selection committee is not there, that's why they're delaying the announcement."

Despite the challenges, Rana remains optimistic about the Indian shooters' performance in Paris. "Yes, we were well prepared last time. This time too, our preparations are pretty well. The only thing that went wrong last time was the postponement of the Games due to Covid-19. Our team was at its peak at the time of the Olympics (as per the original schedule in 2020). After that, due to a lot of problems, we couldn't manage it properly," he said. "I'm quite positive," Rana added, expressing his belief in India's medal chances at the Paris Olympics.

Tags: #Shooting, #Olympics, #NRAI, #WorldCup, #JaspalRana