NEW DELHI: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), on Wednesday announced India’s first ever franchise league in shooting, named Shooting League of India (SLI).
The proposal mooted by NRAI President Kalikesh Narayana Singh Deo, has received approval from the Governing Body, the highest decision-making body of the national federation.
A window for the same is being chalked out, post receiving approvals from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), the sport’s sole global authority, in March of 2025, when the first edition will likely be held.
Speaking on the development, Singh Deo said, “Shooting, particularly after the performance in the recent Paris Olympics has received a huge fillip in its popularity and we thought that this was the right moment to launch a league. We have seen how well organised franchise leagues have not only helped in popularising the sport even further, but most importantly have brought in new audiences and revenue for them and their athletes. We owe it to our athletes to make the sport self-sustainable.
“Shooting in its purest Olympic form and format is not considered television friendly; however, we have all deliberated upon it extensively and feel that we may have arrived at a winning formula. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as all is in the interest of the sport and its super athletes, who have brought glory to the country on global platforms consistently over the last few decades, ” he added.
K. Sultan Singh, secretary-general, NRAI, shed light upon the basic contours of the SLI, saying, “We want to have all 15 Olympic events as part of the SLI, but we will try to innovate and tweak some formats so as to make them more exciting to watch on telecast or livestream. We also want to have unique ownership and team composition, which will help in bringing in newer audiences and sponsors to the sport. More details will be shared soon.”
India won three bronze medals, exactly half of its total tally, from shooting in the recently concluded Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. It was the first time India had won three medals in any sport at the Olympics and it also made shooting the most successful individual Olympic sport in the country, with a tally of one gold, two silver and four bronze medals won over a period of the last two decades.
Among other historical feats, India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medal also came from shooting when Abhinav Bindra won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in Paris, Manu Bhaker also became the first Indian athlete to have won more than one medal at a single edition of the Games.
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