Indian government to use diplomacy to have shooting included in CWG, says Kiren Rijiju

06/30/2019

Kiren Rijiju has stated that the central government cannot interfere much in the matter of the Commonwealth Games Federation but will try to take diplomatic steps for the inclusion of Shooting in 2022. Rijiju also reiterated the fact that India has a good chance of winning medals in shooting.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has left out shooting from the programme of the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Birmingham. Following this, the Indian Olympic Association has revealed that India could pull out from the Games if the sport is not added to the list.

Meanwhile, India’s newly-appointed Sports Minister has assured that the government will take necessary steps to ensure that Shooting gets a place in the 2022 Games but also said that it can’t interfere much in the matters of the CGF.

“I know about this pull threat by IOA. But we can’t interfere much. But a sport, where India have good chance win medals, we will try and take diplomatic steps to have shooting included,” Rijiju was quoted as saying by PTI.

India’s former sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had written to his counterpart in Britain and to the CGF President, requesting them to intervene and ensure that Shooting is still there in the 2022 Games. India had won 16 medals in the sport in the 2018 Gold Coast CWG.