NRAI dismisses reports of a shotgun shooter participating in Olympic Selection Trials despite not meeting criteria

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) denied reports of a shotgun shooter participating in the ongoing Olympic Selection Trials for the Paris Olympics 2024 despite not meeting the required score.

According to reports circulating across the web, trap marksman Karan missed the criteria set by the association for shotgun selection trials by two points. However, the shooter was allowed to compete while a lot of other shooters who shot identical scores were not considered.

Responding to the reports, the association secretary Rajiv Bhatia stated that an exceptional was made for Karan as he is a budding shooter and his recommendation came from the Army.

Karan, an Army marksman, shot a score of 108 at the National Championships last year, but his score was the lone recommendation approved by the National Rifle Association of India.

The mentioned shooter had reportedly participated in a series of four selection trials and is currently ranked 15th, and for the same reason he failed to make it to the national squad.

“We did give an exception as he is a budding, good shooter. There was a difference of just two points and he has been shooting good scores. That’s why we introduced him in the trials for selecting the teams for World Cups, World Championships, everything (including Olympics),” Bhatia told PTI.

“We cannot simply go by the rule book. There was a recommendation from the Army to allow him (for national trials) because he had shot very well at the National Games (in Goa),” he added.

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NRAI clarifies that no rules were compromised

Karan, who represented the Services Sports Control Board, finished at the sixth spot and was the first to be eliminated in the trap finals at the National Games in Goa.

Subsequently, the association clarified that no rules were compromised to accommodate the shooter, citing his score of 117 in the National Games 2023 - a competition officially recognized by the NRAI’s Governing Body and surpassing the required cutoff of 110.

Moreover, the NRAI outlined their policy, specifying three types of competitions that could be taken into consideration - The 66th National Championships, The Digvijay Singh Memorial Competition, and any other event acknowledged by the NRAI’s governing body, which includes the National Games