NRAI chief Kalikesh Deo: ‘Shooting will be there’ in programme if India hosts 2030 CWG, 2036 Olympics
India is set to host four major shooting events between 2025 and 2028. However, it was baffling why the hosting rights for all those championships were awarded to New Delhi alone, especially when the entire community had appeared overtly enthusiastic about participating at a new venue a few years back.
The Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal, having set up a new final hall and redesigned its shotgun range, was excited to roll out the red carpet for international competitions. However, the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) World Cup in March 2023 remains the sole international meet to have been held at the said venue.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, says reduced connectivity to the Tier-2 city is the reason why it has been difficult to host world-class competitions in Bhopal. “The choice of the venue largely depends on the logistical convenience of an athlete. Let’s not forget that athletes, who are taking 24 hours and coming to Delhi, have to go through Customs again to fly to another place. The feedback that we got was to try and limit the amount of logistics involved to encourage more participation. Of course, the final decision rests with the ISSF,” Kalikesh said during a virtual media roundtable on Monday.
Regarding India being preferred over other member nations for a major competition each year, Kalikesh said, “The ISSF has always been very generous towards India and even more so since Luciano (Rossi) has taken over as the president. He had graciously awarded us the World Cup Final of 2024 after the Olympics. This year, we will have the Junior World Cup; next year, in February, we have the Asian Cup in rifle and pistol; and in 2027, we will have a Quota competition (an all-format World Cup). In 2028, we will have the Junior World Championship, where young shooters from across the world will come to participate. This is exciting for Indian shooters, especially as a lot of them are now starting off very young. We believe India will be a great asset to the ISSF going forward, and also to Luciano in terms of support to him and his plans for the sport.
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India is also set to organise the inaugural edition of the Shooting India League (SLI) in November. The entire competition, a first of its kind, is set to be held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. According to the NRAI, the SLI is set to operate in ‘a hybrid model, integrating traditional shooting events with virtual competitions.’ It also mentions the integration of e-sports to an extent. Earlier this month, Kalikesh was also appointed Interim Chairperson of the ISSF Committee on E-sports and Innovations.
Luciano explained what e-sports, which recently became a part of the Olympic movement in 2024, had to do with a sport whose history with the Summer Games can be traced back to the late 1800s. He said, “We have to open our minds. For years, shooting has been very closed to the outside world. E-sports has been widely appreciated. So, we have created this small group, which Kalikesh is part of, because we realise we can use modern systems and new technology to send a message across the world regarding what is happening in shooting. Shooting is the safest sport in the world, but we have failed to communicate what we are doing. With e-sports, following the IOC’s footsteps, we want to appeal to the younger generation. The growth is limitless. Only 10 international federations are a part of the e-sports movement, and we are proud to be one of them.”
To further strengthen shooting’s footprint across the globe, the ISSF needs to plan a better broadcasting strategy. Luciano says he is already on it. “For too many years, we were so invested in our family that we forgot to show what we are to people outside the family. It was a big mistake, which we are looking to repair now. We are investing a lot of money and attention in better communication and in establishing a good relationship with the players. We don’t have a set solution yet, as I am not a magician, but as a team, we are doing our best to improve the communication media. We are close to a change. The next Olympics will be emotional, and there will be more drama.”
Currently, only the ISSF event finals are streamed on YouTube.
Shooting has been shunned by the Commonwealth Games (CWG) organisers for two editions in a row now. It also did not make the programme at the latest edition of the World University Games. While that presents a worrying picture of the future of the sport, Luciano and Kalikesh aren’t too worried.
Luciano said: “I spoke with the Chair of the CWG. It was a mistake to remove shooting from the Games roster in 2022. The ISSF did what needed to be done at that point. But that’s in the past. We are ready to cooperate again.”
“I can assure you that when India hosts CWG in 2030, shooting will be there. Shooting will also find a prominent place when the country hosts the Olympics in 2036. We had a healthy medal tally in the Asian Games and the Olympics,” Kalikesh weighed in.