Shotgun World Cup Cyprus: India pulls out over coronavirus threat

Due to the novel coronavirus threat, the Indian shotgun team pulled out of the Shooting World Cup in Cyprus, which is scheduled to be held in Nicosia from March 4.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The Indian team withdrew from the tournament on the advice of the government.

The Indian shotgun team, scheduled to compete in the World Cup in Nicosia, Cyprus, from March 5 to 12, has been withdrawn by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), owing to health concerns following directives by the Union Health Ministry related to the coronavirus outbreak. ‘’Acting upon the travel advisory by the Ministry of Health, wherein certain nations have been listed for a complete travel ban, the Indian team has therefore been withdrawn from the Cyprus World Cup, because we have found that at least one of those listed nations will be represented there’’, said the president of NRAI, Raninder Singh, in a statement released here on Friday.

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The NRAI president further clarified that the presence of some countries in the World Cup in Cyprus would had led to the Indian shooters being quarantined on their return, which would jeopardise their chances of competing in the World Cup at home in Delhi, starting on March 16. ‘’Complying with the Ministry of Health advisory, we have taken the step. We would have had to inform about the participation of one of the nations listed in the advisory, dated February 26, and our team would have come in contact with that team’’, the statement further read.

The NRAI was categorical in stating that, ‘’keeping the health and welfare of our athletes as a primary concern and in compliance with the Ministry of Health travel advisory, the NRAI decided to withdraw its team’’.