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What's the story?
India is ready to field a strong contingent at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in New Delhi that is scheduled between 15 March and 26 March.
The background
The ISSF World Cup in one of the most prestigious shooting events. It acts as the qualifier for the Olympic Shooting competitions. There are four competitions held each year with the best shooters also getting to participate in the World Cup Final.
Nicosia in Cyprus will host the ISSF World Cup Shotgun between 4 March and 13 March. After this, New Delhi will host the ISSF World Cup (Rifle + Pistol + Shotgun) at the Dr. Karni Singh Range in Tughalakabad between 15-26 March.
Another ISSF World Cup (Rifle + Pistol) is scheduled in Munich, Germany, between 2nd and 9th June. Finally, the fourth World Cup of the year will take place at Baku in Azerbaijan.
In 2019, India topped the tables at all four World Cups and they will be looking to repeat the same feat again. The Indian shooters also topped the medal charts at the 2019 World Cup Finals.
The heart of the matter
A strong Indian contingent with 55 members will be fielded at the World Cup in Delhi. 20 of these are also in the Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) section that has been set for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Shooting powerhouse China will be skipping the event as there are travel restrictions due to the widespread coronavirus epidemic.
Also Read - China and Pakistan pull out of ISSF World Cup
The World Cup in New Delhi will be the final event before the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) finalizes the Indian team for Tokyo Olympics 2020. Hence, the event is of paramount importance for Indian shooters. 15 Indian shooters have already won Olympic quota places but the national federation has been handed the responsibility of fielding the best of the best in filling up the quotas.
Some of the shooters that have been included in the main team for the World Cup in New Delhi include Manu Bhaker, Asian Games gold medallist Rahi Sarnobat, and Annu Raj Singh.
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Rahi Sarnobat praises government, says it 'has provided everything we need'
Korea (41 shooters), Germany (37 shooters), and Kazakhstan (28 shooters) will be the other three countries fielding big contingents at the World Cup.
Italy, USA, Singapore, and Russia will also be among the competing nations.
The World Cup in Delhi will feature rifle, pistol, and shotgun, and the complete schedule for it can be viewed HERE.
What's next?
With China not in the fray, India will hope for a fantastic outing and look to dominate the World Cup in New Delhi.
