Government approves NRAI's proposal for coaches

New Delhi: The government has approved the National Rifle Association of India's (NRAI) proposal to hire five specialised coaches for the junior teams, providing a fillip to the country's upcoming shooters.

The proposal included the appointment of two coaches for shotgun, two for rifle and one for pistol.

With a number of international tournaments lined up in the coming months, the NRAI is keen on having proven coaches for its junior shooters.

"The government has approved the proposal for recruiting coaches for the junior teams and the appointments will be done soon," NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia said today.

The junior shooters have been delivering the goods at international events in recent years and the NRAI wants to give them the best of coaching before they graduate to the senior level.

Aiming to overhaul the set-up in the junior coaching shooting scene, the NRAI had earlier this year recommended names of a few prospective coaches to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

According to President Raninder Singh, the young Indian shooters deserve special attention with so many top tournaments lined up in the coming years.

A coaching camp was conducted for junior rifle/pistol and shotgun shooters last month as part of preparations for the upcoming tournaments.

Their performance has also caught the attention of Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, who recently awarded air rifles to five junior shooters.