India looks to bid for shooting’s 2020 Olympic quota event

TIL Desk Sports/ The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is looking at the upcoming ISSF World Cup as a stepping stone to prepare a strong bid for hosting a qualifying event for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

NRAI president Raninder Singh today expressed optimism that a smooth conduct of the year’s first World Cup — a first for the country — will go a long way in helping India make a bid for one of the Olympic quota events next year and the year after. To be conducted at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, the mega-tournament will be held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range from February 22 to March 4.

“It’s a way for us to showcase to the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) that we are very, very capable of hosting the tournament smoothly. Our target is to host a successful tournament so that we can build a bid for holding a quota event for the Tokyo Games,” Raninder said.

Though the next World Championship in 2018 has already been allotted to Changwon, Korea, there will be quite a few other quota events, including World Cups and Asian Championships.