Premium

Junior coach punished for ‘pulling’ prank

The trio were also told to write an apology letter to Smit Singh, which was uploaded on the NRAI website on Tuesday.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has banned two skeet shooters and a junior shotgun coach for a ‘severe act of indiscipline’ during the National Games. PS Sodhi, the junior coach, was caught on camera pulling down the shorts of Smit Singh, who won two gold in the skeet event at the National Games in Kerala. Sodhi has been banned for a year.

Though the NRAI’s athletes committee has not gone into the details of the offenses committed by skeet shooters Arjun Balraj Mehta and Parampal Singh Guron, the former has been banned for a year, while the latter’s name has been withdrawn from the India team for the Shotgun World Cup to be held in Larnaca, Cyprus, from April 24.

The trio were also told to write an apology letter to Smit Singh, which was uploaded on the NRAI website on Tuesday. The punishments handed out to the shooters were recommended by the athletes’ committee headed by Morad Ali Khan, while Sodhi’s case was dealt by the NRAI’s disciplinary and ethics committee.

[related-post]

However, Guron will be allowed to participate in the Al-Ain World Cup in the UAE because his name has already been entered and no replacement is now allowed for the March 19-29 tournament, which incidentally a quota event. A complaint had been filed against the coach and the two shooters by Smit Singh. The video of the the coach pulling down his shorts was posted on whatsapp and other social media forums.

“They have been dealt severe punishments based on the recommendations from the committees. All three were told to furnish written apologies, plus the two athletes were also told to post the same on their facebook pages,” NRAI president Raninder Singh told The Indian Express. “A message has been sent to both the athletes and the officials that we will not tolerate such incidents.”