Published 15:38 IST, November 14th 2019
Before CGF meet, Kiren Rijiju wants India's position on Shooting considered
Minister for Sports Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that India's position must be considered as they were a very important member, ahead of the CGF meeting
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that India's position must be considered as they were a very important member, ahead of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) meet. Kiren Rijiju said that he had written a letter to the Sports Minister in the United Kingdom (UK) and that he had received a reply. Kiren Rijiju revealed that a meeting was scheduled with the CGF president where Kiren Rijiju would explain to him how India was an important member of the CGF.
'India's position must be considered', says Kiren Rijiju
India is seeking to include shooting in the Commonwealth Games roster after the event was excluded from the list of events. India, which has had a fair share of medals attributed to shooting, has backed the demands of its shooters for the sport to be re-included in the event's roster. Kiren Rijiju said that normally, the Commonwealth Games had their own system and that there was no government interference in their functioning when it comes to technical matters. However, Kiren Rijiju said that he will put forth his views on behalf of the government since it was a matter based on policies.
IOA to meet CGF
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will make a last-ditch effort to bring shooting back on the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games roster when it meets top officials of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Thursday. The 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 the CWG. Shooting has been dropped owing to logistical issues cited by the local organising committee. The meeting was agreed upon following IOA's proposal to the Sports Ministry in July, to boycott the Games over shooting's exclusion.
According to Mehta, the IOA will try to convince the CGF to reconsider its decision on shooting, citing India's excellent medal count in the sport. "The main agenda of the meeting is shooting's exclusion from the Birmingham Games. We will strongly put forward our case before the CGF in front of the Sports Minister. We will try to explain it to them how India's medals tally will be affected by shooting's exclusion from the CWG," Mehta told PTI.
Updated 15:56 IST, November 14th 2019