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What's the story?
A team of junior shooters, who are a part of the national camp organised by the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI), have been forced to bathe in ice cold water owing to the inability of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to get their solar water heaters fixed at the JLN complex, in New Delhi.
In case you didn't know
In early October, the NRAI had announced that the national camp was due to be held post the 2016 Rio Olympics at the Dr. Karni Singh ranges in Tughlakabad, but at the back of some recommendations brought out by a review team headed by Abhinav Bindra, the camp was postponed indefinitely until the decision was taken to host it this November at the same venue.
Heart of the Matter
While the national capital of India has been experiencing chilly temperatures, along with pollution, the young shooters have had to deal with icy cold baths at five in the morning, prior to their daily practice sessions.
Not only in the morning, the young kids are forced to get back to cleansing their tired, sweaty bodies in the cold water yet again in the evening when they return back from practice at their JLN Stadium complex hostel.
Unable to see their children suffering, some parents also went on to complain to the SAI officials but to no avail. In turn, some parents themselves have bought their kids electric immersion rods to warm the water, if reports are to be believed.
However, what has been most interesting to note is that the JLN administrator PK Raghav has quashed all these theories claiming them to be false but has not left any comment on the issue.
What's next?
Among the team of over 60 children, 24 of them are in preparation to take part in the 10th Asian Airgun Championships due to be held in Japan from 6th-12th December, while the rest will feature in the school games scheduled to be held in Pune next month.
Author's take
While coaches claim to be preparing the young shooters for the cold climate in Japan, it is indeed harsh to put the youngsters under such a situation and neglect the problem at hand. We do hope to see a change in fortunes soon.
