India could skip Commonwealth Games 2022 after shooting is excluded, warns IOA
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has threatened to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, after the CGF decided to drop shooting from the Commonwealth programme. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had earlier urged the CGF president to ensure shooting remains a part of the 2022 edition.
The decision to drop shooting from the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Birmingham, made by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has not gone down well with the Indian Olympic Association. Indian shooters had won as many as 16 of 66 medals in shooting at the 2018 Gold Coast and CWG IOA general secretary Rajeev Mehta said that pulling out of the Games is definitely a realistic possibility.
“That cannot be ruled out. We can even go to that extent. Shooting is a big sport in India and for many shooters CWG is a stepping stone to Olympics two years later. It is a big setback for shooting as well as Indian sport as a whole. We have made representations to the CGF, and the government has also done that, but still shooting has been left out.
“We know it is difficult now to overturn the CGF decision but all is not lost still. We have one month’s time [before the inclusion of new sports is voted by all the 71 CGF members]. The IOA Executive Council will take a decision within the next two weeks and we are not averse to taking a major decision,” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta told PTI.
Shooting has featured in every Commonwealth Games since 1966 with the exception of Edinburgh 1970. However, Mehta welcomed the inclusion of women’s T20 cricket in the 2022 CWG but said the BCCI will have to be first convinced about sending a team as it earlier refused to send teams in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.
“We welcome the inclusion of women’s T20 cricket as we can expect a medal from it. But we have to deal with the BCCI first as sending cricket teams has been an issue in the Asian Games. We have to sort it out first,” Mehta added.
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