NRAI refutes reports of shotgun shooter competing in national trials despite not meeting criteria

Karan, a Trap shooter, missed the criteria for shotgun selection trials by two points but was allowed to compete, while several others with identical scores in the National Championships were not considered.

Representative Image: Karan, an Army marksman, shot 108 in the National Championships but his was the only recommendation accepted by the NRAI, while the same exception was not made for a dozen more shooters, who shot identical scores. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

National Rifle Association of India dismissed reports of a shotgun shooter participating in the ongoing national trials for the Paris Olympics despite not meeting the requisite score.

According to reports, Trap marksman Karan missed the NRAI criteria for shotgun selection trials by two points but was allowed to compete, while several others, who shot identical scores during last year’s National Championships, were not considered.

Karan, an Army marksman, shot 108 in the National Championships but his was the only recommendation accepted by the NRAI. The shooter has reportedly competed in a series of four selection trials and is currently ranked 15th, thus failing to make the national squad.

NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI that since Karan is a “budding” shooter and his “recommendation had come from the Army”, an exception was made for him.

“We did give an exception as he is a budding, good shooter. There was a difference of just two points and he has been shooting good scores. That’s why we introduced him in the trials for selecting the teams for World Cups, World Championships, everything (including Olympics),” Bhatia is quoted by PTI.

“We cannot simply go by the rule book ( lakeer ke fakeer nahin ban sakte). There was a recommendation from the Army to allow him (for national trials) because he had shot very well at the National Games (in Goa).”

Karan, representing Services Sports Control Board, was the first to be eliminated in the trap finals at the National Games in Goa, finishing sixth.

The NRAI later claimed that no rules were bent to accommodate the shooter, saying he had shot a score of 117 in the National Games 2023 -- “a competition recognised by the Governing Body of the NRAI, which was above the required cut off of 110.”

The NRAI added that as per their policy, “there were three kinds of competitions which could be considered” – the 66th National Championships, the Digvijay Singh Memorial competition and any other competition recognised by the governing body of NRAI (which the National Games are).