India to skip shooting world cup in South Korea owing to 14-day quarantine

An NRAI official said that the shooters will not be exempted from the quarantine as per the directives of the concerned South Korean authorities.

The tournament will be held from April 16 to 27- R. Ravindran

India will not take part in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon in April because of South Korea's mandatory two-week quarantine rules, which will come in the way of the shooters' training.

"Our shooters are not going to be participating in the World Cup in Korea as there is a 14-day mandatory quarantine. That means they will not be abe to train for that period," a top official of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) told PTI on Monday.

The official said the shooters will not be exempted from the quarantine as per the directives of the concerned South Korean authorities.

The tournament is scheduled to be held in the Korean city from April 16 to 27 and is a combined World Cup with shooters from rifle, pistol and shotgun competing for top honours.

India is also scheduled to host a combined World Cup from March 18 to 29, at the national capital's Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Before that, there is a shotgun World Cup slated in Cairo from February 22 to March 5.

The Indian shooters were also to join their counterparts from other countries for the National Test Event in Tokyo from April 25 to 30, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

All the upcoming tournaments will form part of preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. The World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, scheduled for June, will be the last international competition before the Tokyo Olympics.