NRAI makes 85% attendance in national camps mandatory

PUNE: Indian shooters must have a minimum of 85 % attendance at the national camps to be eligible for international participation, state the new rules laid by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in their Governing Body meeting held early this month.
The minutes of the meeting were uploaded by the NRAI on their website only a few days back.
Though it looks like a damage control exercise by the NRAI after a disappointing show at Rio, the shooting body president Raninder Singh denied it."It is very difficult to keep track of shooters' physical and technical aspects if they don't participate in national camps. If the government is spending so much money on shooting, it is the NRAI's responsibility to monitor shooters' progress," Raninder Singh told TOI. Interestingly, the Governing Body meeting was held on September 4, the day when Abhinav Bindra was given a farewell by the shooting body in Delhi. Now retired, Bindra was never in favour of the mandatory attendance system and always trained with his personal coaches in Germany.
When asked about Bindra's reservations about the rule and whether NRAI was pressing this rule after the retirement of Bindra, Raninder said, "There is no doubt that Abhinav had his reservations, but I feel he has been the most professional athlete in the country. I can trust Abhinav, but I can't put the same faith in the other nine shooters," Raninder stated.
He said that the attendance rule is one part of the policy, while suggestions on allowing personal coaches in national camps will be given by NRAI's review committee headed by Bindra.
"The protocol to allow shooter's personal coaches at coaching camps and international competitions will be suggested by the committee," he said.