BHOPAL: The energy inside the Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre here was electric. The state sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, in the presence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, looked very satisfied at the occasion, as her dream of bringing international sports events to Bhopal had materialized with the ISSF World Cup.
When Scindia requested the new ISSF president Luciano Rossi from the dias to give the World Championships as well to Bhopal, it invited a rapturous applause from the athletes and dignitaries in attendance, including the National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh.
It was a memorable occasion for Raninder as well because for the first time an ISSF World Cup in India was being organised away from Delhi's Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges.
As the guests moved towards the outside lawns for dinner, Timesofindia.com talked to Raninder about the new venue, India's hopes, the Chinese challenge and NRAI's renewed push in an effort to turn the tide in Paris 2024 after two consecutive barren Olympic editions for the sport.
Excerpts...
I think this is something that was overdue. That's why I was very happy that this facility was being prepared. It's a cue for other states. The international sporting community only wants a facility, and we as a national federation are very happy. It's part of our ethos, our makeup as a national federation that we should take it as wide as possible and in that way help promote the sport in the youth of that area as well.
How would you rate this MP State Shooting Academy here in Bhopal vis a vis the Dr Karni Singh Range in Delhi?
I think both ranges are of international standards. There is no doubt about it. The international standard is set once the technical delegate signs on the preparedness and the efficacy of the range. In both places it has been done. Delhi has its own advantages. Going out to a city like Bhopal has its own advantages. For us as a national federation both are equal.
There were some question marks over the preparedness of the Finals range here in Bhopal...
No, it's not that. You see, calibration of the targets had to be done. We always get the technicians from Switzerland. They were coming a little earlier, then there was a little delay in their flight and we thought we may not be on time. But we finished it on time and the technical delegates and the officials are all satisfied. We even had a mock shoot over there.
China is back in the fray for the first time at a World Cup in 2023. They left the Indian contingent way behind to top the tables at the World Championships last year. Is India's new-look World Cup squad up for it?
Not only are we up for it, but I also think every athlete over here is of a certain standard. No nation goes to an international competition to lose. We all go with the hope of winning and the rest is up to the athlete and his or her performance on the day. I believe our team is well suited to take on any challenge and I am sure so are the Chinese.
What will it take to leave the fiasco of two consecutive medal-less Olympics behind, especially because Indian contingents were topping the charts at World Cups before Tokyo, but fired blanks at the Games?
I think the issue analyzed threadbare was that the thing missing was the high performance side and the mental pressure, not the technical side, which is training, etc., because we (all countries) are all of the same standard at that level. That's why you now see this push and emphasis on HPE (high performance management) and the mental side of it.
What exactly is being done in regards to High Performance Management (HPE) and teaching the athletes ways of handling pressure?
A technical methodology is being employed to explain to the athletes how to react under different stress and circumstances and how to have plans A, B, C and D. Once that is inculcated in a correct manner into our athletes, I think (we will bridge) the difference between winning a gold medal at the World Championships or the World Cup and winning a gold at the Olympic Games. So I think we will be pleasantly surprised this time.
