National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh has hinted that the Indian team’s selection for the postponed Tokyo Olympics would be announced within a month and said they were preparing for all scenarios for the Games that are to be held in 2021, The Tribune reported on Wednesday.
The last of the series of selection trials to pick the team for the Tokyo Games was conducted last month in New Delhi despite the state government advising against holding any public gatherings and shutting down schools and other sports activities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. NRAI had, however, cancelled the selection committee meeting to be held on March 20.
And with the Tokyo Games postponed by a year, there was speculations over whether NRAI would come up with a fresh selection policy and many shooters who were assured of a spot in the team had wished that the federation would provide some clarity on the topic.
Singh’s comments after a meeting with the coaching staff would be music to the ears of these shooters.
“We would have selected the team on 20th March but the meeting had to be called off. I would prefer the meeting to happen in person,” Singh was quoted as saying. “But if things don’t improve in two-three weeks, we can have the meeting on Zoom (video-conferencing app) and decide the team. I will not leave it hanging.”
The NRAI president also said that the coaches have been given a week’s time to prepare a contingency plan considering various scenarios like a month-long lockdown, six-month lockdown and no real preparation time before the Olympics.
“It is certain that we will not get any tournaments in the near future. If I am optimistic, then we may get something after January. We must take stock of the situation and prepare accordingly. We must be prepared for everything,” he said.