New Delhi: Kalikesh Singh Dev Recently took charge as the Chairman of National Rifle Association of India ,NRAIDev’s first big task as head of the shooting organization will be the successful conduct of the World Cup final in New Delhi later this month. He told that a total of 37 countries and 132 shooters, including 23 from India, will participate in this event. As a federation chief, Dev also spoke about his vision where his primary focus will be on supporting and capitalizing on high-performing athletes. Success from Paris.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview…
Tell us about your future plans to take the sport to new heights as NRAI President?
Kalikesh: Given the success of the Indian shooting team at the Olympics, we believe this is an ideal time to take advantage of the growing visibility of the sport. Our aim is to expand the reach of Shooting to the grassroots, across India. Currently, we have a strong base of approximately 82,000ef registered shooters who participate in competitions at various levels. Our aim is to create a solid talent pool for our high performing teams by providing them with better support at the grassroots level. Going forward, we need to establish more high-performance centers to better support these teams and produce a larger pool of shooters from whom we can select our national team for future competitions. Another key focus will be to provide more opportunities for these athletes to receive guidance from our national and foreign coaches. Additionally, we will continue to work with the Government of India to strengthen our junior team, which has played a vital role in developing our current bench strength.
Indian shooters won three medals in Paris. Do you believe we could have finished with more medals in some of the other shooting events?
Kalikesh: Yes, we won three medals, and we narrowly missed three more, finishing fourth in some events. For example, Ramita Jindal Reached the finals and although we could have won more medals, the performance of all our shooters was commendable. Even those who could not make the finals, like Sarabjit, who missed qualifying via tiebreaker in the men’s 10m air pistol, also put in a strong performance. Many of our athletes finished 8th to 12th, which is a significant achievement at the Olympics. However, going forward, one of our key priorities will be to ensure that our athletes are mentally prepared and flexible to convert their performances into medals during major events like the Olympics.
What are the plans for Los Angeles 2028? How does NRAI ensure that the gains made in Paris 2024 are not wasted when it comes to planning for LA 2028? What will be the approach of NRAI?
Kalikesh: Since our recent elections, we have hit the ground running. The visibility of shooting has increased and interest in the sport is increasing. As part of our efforts to maintain the momentum, we successfully bid for the World Cup Finals, which will be held in Delhi immediately after the Olympics. This gives our shooters and Indian fans an opportunity to see some of the world’s best talent compete on home soil. We have also received immense support from the young shooters, with around 400-500 people volunteering to help organize the event. Our focus is now on securing more international events such as the Junior World Cup and quota competitions in the lead up to the LA 2028 Olympics. We are committed to expanding the talent pool by ensuring that athletes at all levels receive adequate support from both our national and overseas coaches. We will work to provide overseas experience to not only the main national team, but also our second and third tier teams, so they can compete in various international competitions. We are leaving no stone unturned in our preparations to improve our performance at the LA Olympics.
What are the key areas you will focus on as NRAI President?
Kalikesh: My primary focus will be on supporting our high-performance athletes and building on the success from Paris. It is essential to increase the visibility of shooting as a sport and secure adequate funds through CSR initiatives, government support or internal competitions to channel resources to both high-performance athletes and grassroots development. Our aim is to increase access to shooting in areas where there may be deficiencies and to establish more high-performance centres. Additionally, we will work closely with state bodies and academies to improve the organization of state and national level events. Ultimately, we aim to ensure that athletes at all levels from schools and colleges to national and international competitions receive the best possible support from NRAI.
India will host the prestigious World Cup final in October. How are the preparations and how many countries and shooters have confirmed participation in the event? Also, are we hopeful of granting visas to shooters from China and Pakistan to compete in the finals?
Kalikesh: A total of 37 countries and 132 shooters, including 23 from India, will participate. While Pakistan will not be part of the competition, China is, and they regularly compete in our events without any problems. We don’t see any challenge in granting visas to their athletes. It is the most prestigious event in the shooting calendar, bringing together World Cup finalists from around the world, including top shooters from countries like Turkey, Korea, China and India. NRAI is working diligently to ensure that all preparations are in place for a successful event. We see this as an opportunity to establish a strong foundation for bidding for more competitions in the future. There has been a lot of interest from schools, colleges and shooters across the country and we are opening the field to anyone willing to participate. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the opening ceremony and the rest of the competition.
Former star shooter of India, jeetu rairecently left Indian Army Focusing on training the young shooters of the country. He wants to either become a high performance coach or open his own shooting academy. Has NRAI thought of anything for them…any plans to utilize their experience?
Kalikesh: Jitu Rai has been one of India’s most accomplished shooters and it will be a pleasure for NRAI to work with him and help him realize his dreams. We believe former shooters should consider transitioning into coaching or technical roles within the sport. NRAI would welcome the participation of Jitu Rai along with other retired athletes. Sanjeev Rajput have already joined our coaching team, and we look forward to working with more former shooters who want to contribute to the national coaching staff or high performance teams. His experience will be invaluable in helping India compete on the international stage.
