The coronavirus threat is looming large over the 2020 Olympics scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan as several Test events preceding the games are being cancelled. The Test event for shooting is scheduled to take place in April, but there has been no clarity yet on whether it will also take place.
Raninder Singh, president of the National Rifle Association of India, has assured shooters and the public that he will not risk the health of a single athlete by sending the Indian team for the Tokyo Olympics Test Event if the threat persists. The Indian team for the Test Event has already been selected.
Speaking to the media at length about the team's preparation for the Olympic Games as well as the forthcoming ISSF World Cup in New Delhi from March 15-26, Singh stated, “We are yet to decide on whether to send the team or not. I will not risk even one of my kids. If we receive advice from WHO, IOC, ISSF, our own ministry of health or ministry of sports as well as the Indian High Commission in Tokyo advising against sending the team, we will not do so. It is not worth the risk. That decision, however, will be taken in due course, as of now the event stands scheduled.”
The Test event is scheduled to take place from April 16- 26 in Tokyo. For the shooters, the Test event is important in terms of getting an idea of the range conditions.
The Tokyo Games Organisers have already cancelled the Track Test events; the Tokyo Marathon has been a curtailed event with only elite marathoners being allowed to participate; A paralympic Test event in Japan too has been limited to Japanese athletes only. There has been a few calls to cancel the Games, but the organisers have reiterated they will be held as per schedule.
The outbreak of the coronavirus has led to multiple sports events being cancelled or shifted to other venues.
New Delhi is set to host the ISSF Shooting World Cup next month. Originally 80 nations were to participate, but the number has come down to 67.
“China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, North Korea, Turkmienistan are some of the countries who have withdrawn their teams. In all 28 countries are not coming,” said Raninder Singh. He further clarified that like Italy and South Korea, India will go by the government's nation-to-nation policy on the matter.
Italy, Iran, South Korea are some of the countries which have seen a surge in coronavirus cases.
Singh, meanwhile, thanked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), its president Narendra Batra and Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Minister Kiren Rijiju for the full support and backing in his endeavour to get shooting and archery back in the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham. The Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly voted in favour of an unprecedented proposal spearheaded by NRAI and Singh to hold the excluded events of shooting and archery in India under the aegis of the Federation with the medals won being included in the final tally of the Birmingham Games.
“This is a very pathbreaking proposal. For an organisation used to certain model of hosting event in a very conservative way, to take this on is something most praiseworthy. It shows an open mind, far thinking leadership and statesmanship.”
