India’s world champion rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil and his women’s teammate Anjum Moudgil will finally get the promised prize money for winning the prestigious President’s Cup gold and silver medals, respectively, last year.
The uncertainty over the prize money had been caused by a change in the hierarchy of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
Maharashtra shooter Rudrankksh was to receive the biggest pay cheque of his fledgling career -- 15,000 euros (Rs 13.25 lakhs approx) -- for winning the President’s Cup in Cairo in November last year, while Anjum was to receive around Rs 6.25 lakh for her silver in women’s rifle 3-positions event.
But former Russian head of the world shooting body ISSF, Vladimir Lisin, failed to fulfil his financial commitment after he was voted out as the global body’s head.
On Wednesday, the new ISSF chief, Luciano Rossi, announced he will fulfil the commitment and give the prize money to all the athletes who had won medals in the season-ending tournament.
The President’s Cup features the 12 top athletes in each individual Olympic shooting event as per the 2022 world rankings and offered a total sum of 792,000 euros this year. Each of the disciplines last year offered 66,000 euros prize money, with the winner earning 15,000 euro.
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“Dear athlete, with great pleasure I inform you that the ISSF has managed to achieve an agreement regarding the payment of the prize money for the President Cup 2022, which is supposed to be executed as promised,” said Rossi in a statement on Wednesday.
He added it was after a long-drawn legal battle that he could secure the money for the shooters.
Lisin was under pressure to quit due to his proximity with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of Ukraine’s invasion but one of the richest persons in Russia had support of several small countries and his exit was blocked.
Eventually, he lost election to Rossi in last year.
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