NRAI announces new selection criteria for shooters targeting Paris Olympics 2024 qualification

Bonus points awarded to shooters who have secured Olympic quotas have been reduced.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body for shooting sports in India, has revised its selection policy for shooters eyeing participation in the Paris Olympics 2024. Among the key changes is the reduction in bonus points awarded to shooters who have secured Olympic quotas for the nation.

This decision follows India's underwhelming performances at the Rio Olympics 2016 and Tokyo Olympics 2020, where Indian shooters failed to secure medals. The country's last podium finish at the Summer Olympics was in 2012 when Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the 25m rapid-fire pistol and 10m air pistol events.

Previously, athletes who secured quotas held an advantage over non-quota earners. World Championship and World Cup gold medalists received 10 and six bonus points, respectively. Even the fourth-placed athlete at the World Championships obtained 5 bonus points.

However, bound by its selection policy, NRAI often had to opt for quota holders, despite their performance levels, as other Olympic hopefuls couldn't surpass these quota holders due to significant point differences.

Consequently, NRAI aims to adopt a fairer method for selecting athletes for the Paris Olympics 2024 to ensure a competitive environment where everyone has an equal chance of qualifying. Under the revised policy, fire-arm category shooters (50m rifle 3-positions, sports pistol, rapid-fire pistol) will receive two bonus points, while air weapons shooters (10m air pistol, 10m air rifle) will earn one point.

Additionally, NRAI has updated the process for calculating the Final Average Score (FAS) for Olympic trials. The FAS will now be determined by averaging the top three scores from four Olympic selection trials. Bonus points will be factored into this average score to arrive at the final tally.

Shooters who could have secured a quota but missed out due to India already holding the maximum two quotas will still be eligible for similar bonus points, provided their rankings were within the top three in tournaments where quotas were available. Moreover, athletes winning medals in upcoming Olympic qualifier events will also receive bonus points under the updated guidelines.