The Sports Authority of India has written to the Central Board of Secondary Education to adjust the board exam dates of shooters Manu Bhaker and Vijayveer Sidhu which will clash with Asian Airgun Championships.
The sports body has asked the board to allot fresh dates for the two subjects in the upcoming Class XII board exams after being approached by the parents of both shooters. The Asian Airgun Championships will be held from March 25 to April 2 in Chinese Taipei.
This initiative by SAI is part of the on-going efforts to ensure that young athletes can balance both their sporting career and academics.
Bhaker would have to take her history exam on March 25 and Physical Education exam on March 30 while Sidhu has to take his psychology exam on March 29 and Physical Education exam on March 30.
SAI had written to CBSE last year as well with a similar request for shooter Anish Bhanwala, and he was allowed to take the Class X board exams after the event in which he was competing got over.
Considered one of India’s brightest shooting talents, 16-year-old Bhaker is a World Cup and Commonwealth Games medallist while Sidhu, also 16, has won a silver medal in the Under-21 event at the Khelo India Youth Games.