IOA to meet CGF delegation, shooting's exclusion from 2022 CWG tops agenda

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will make a last-ditch effort to bring shooting back on 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games roster when it meets top officials of Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Thursday. IOA brass, including President Narinder Batra and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, along with Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju will meet CGF President Louise Martin and CEO David Grevemberg to protest shooting's exclusion from CWG. Shooting has been dropped owing to logistical issues cited by local organising committee. meeting was agreed upon following IOA's proposal to Sports Ministry in July, to boycott Games over shooting's exclusion.

According to Mehta, IOA will try to convince CGF to reconsider its decision on shooting, citing India's excellent medal count in sport. " main nda of meeting is shooting's exclusion from Birmingham Games. We will strongly put forward our case before CGF in front of Sports Minister. We will try to explain it to m how India's medals tally will be affected by shooting's exclusion from CWG," Mehta told PTI.

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"Besides, CWG boycott matter will also be on nda. Let's see what comes out," he added.

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Besides Batra and Mehta, or top IOA officials who will be present during meeting include Treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey, Senior Vice President Anil Khanna, Vice President Sudhanshu Mittal and life Vice-President of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and former IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh. Shooting has always been one of India's top medal contributors in CWG. discipline yielded 16 medals, including seven gold at last edition of event in Gold Coast. For first time since 1974, sport has been excluded from Games roster.

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In protest, IOA had threatened to pull out of Games if shooting was t reinstated. It is understood that during Thursday's meeting, CGF delegation is unlikely to budge on dropping shooting from programme and will try to come out with a compromise formula. Meanwhile, CGF delegation will also visit some venues of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and have a meeting with IOA Athletes Commission during its two-day visit. 

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