The newly-elected president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Kalikesh Singh Deo, announced plans to implement a “common minimum programme” to ensure smooth coordination between personal and national coaches, a pressing issue in Indian shooting ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Speaking to PTI on Monday, Kalikesh highlighted the need for both parties to work together, noting that athletes spend the majority of their time with personal coaches.
“Our job is to ensure we come up with a common minimum working plan in the long run for all our athletes,” Kalikesh said, emphasizing that personal coaches play a crucial role in athletes’ development and cannot be excluded from the process.
The friction between personal and national coaches had intensified before the Paris Games, with the NRAI issuing guidelines for personal coaches that initially caused some tension.
However, the federation managed to resolve the issue, and Kalikesh stated that efforts were made to ensure a smoother relationship between the two sides.
“A large part of the effort building up to the Olympics was in ensuring that the ecosystem between personal coaches and national coaches is smoothened out. It was better than what it was before,” he told PTI.
The NRAI president also addressed concerns about frequent changes in the Olympic selection policy, which has been a point of contention between the shooters and the federation.
He assured that while necessary amendments would be made, drastic changes would be avoided during the next Olympic cycle.
He also touched on the role of foreign coaches in Indian shooting, acknowledging that while the country should aim to reduce its dependence on them in the long run, it is still crucial to retain the best talent, regardless of nationality.
“We’re already talking to some of the foreign coaches for the next Olympic cycle. At this point, I don’t think you can completely do away with foreign coaches.”
Kalikesh concluded by revealing that the NRAI will fully fund the elite ISSF World Cup Final next month at the Karni Singh Ranges in New Delhi, including a cash prize of ₹1.5 crore for shooters