ISSF President praises Indian shooters ahead of World Cup Final

The Indian Olympic medal winners may not be part of the program, but the president of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), Luciano Rossi, said that he expected “beautiful surprises from the Indian shooters” as he addressed the media on the eve of the World Cup Final at the Dr. Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad on Sunday.

“Last week the Indian team was dominant in the Junior World Championship in topping the medals table in Peru. You have the best shooters in the world, shooting high scores, and may be record,” said the ISSF president.

He stated that the junior development of Indian shooting was worth emulating by the rest of the world.

“It is a strong message. This is the way for the world”, said Rossi.

Rossi appreciated India’s effort to host the World Cup Final, featuring the best shooters in the world, including many Olympic and World Champions.

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The president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Kalikesh Singh Deo, explained that it was important to capitalize on new icons like Manu Bhaker, Swapnil Kusale, and Sarabjot Singh, and to increase the visibility of the sport in the country by showcasing the world’s best.

With the three medallists receiving a total of €11,000 in each of the 12 Olympic events, India would be spending about Rs. 1.65 crore on prize money alone, apart from taking care of logistics, hospitality, and other expenses.

“We have a lot of support from the eco system from the Government, SAI, sponsors and ISSF itself”, said the NRAI president, even as he pointed out India as the largest shooting nation with 82,000 registered shooters.

“We are proud to host the World Cup Final for the second time, after having hosted it last in 2017. In the last decade, we have hosted eight international events”, said Kalikesh Deo.

On his part, the ISSF president lauded the Indian spirit in supporting the sport in a big way, expressing confidence that India would host the Junior World Cup next year and also one of the Olympic qualifiers for Los Angeles in the following years. Rossi recalled his meeting with Dr. Karni Singh in Spain many years ago and said that it was emotional for him to be part of an event at the range named after him.

The NRAI president exchanged a souvenir with the ISSF president, while the secretary general of the NRAI, Sultan Singh, presented the kit for the World Cup Final to Rossi.

Taking a cue from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the ISSF, the NRAI sought applications for volunteers for the event and chose 100 out of 500 aspirants, mostly shooters or sportspeople, to assist in hosting the championship.

The World Cup Final will be telecast live on Eurosport India and streamed on the official YouTube channel of the ISSF.