The much-vaunted Shooting League of India may have been repeatedly delayed but National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Singh Deo is insistent that it would be held sooner than later.

“There is a challenge for every sport today on how to make it more commercially marketable, more television and viewer friendly and attract more fans. There may be a delay in the franchise-based league, first of its kind in the world, but we will not tolerate failure. We will make sure the SLI happens and is a success,” Deo said on the sidelines of an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Rifle Association of India.

The NRAI also unveiled a special commemorative logo and launched a mobile application for athlete management including shooters registration and issuing certificates among others. Deo also announced a nationwide grassroots initiative to bring more youngsters into shooting. “Our vision is to make the sport more accessible, aspirational and engaging for the next generation. We plan to expose 7.5 lakh youth to shooting before the next Olympics through a hands-on 10-shot experience,” he added.

Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya stressed on the need to identify and promote talent to make India the top shooting nation in the world and be among the top-five sporting countries in the next 10 years. The event also included several past and present shooters including Samresh Jung, Ronjan Sodhi, Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Akhil Sheoran and Manu Bhaker among others. Manu, whose international performances since her double-medal win at the Paris Olympics include a 10m air pistol World Cup silver last year and a 25m pistol silver at the Asian Championships this year, was confident of a good outing at the upcoming Asian Games.

“The major competitions this year are definitely the Asian Games and the World Championships, looking forward to them. As for preparations for the same, me and my coach sat down sometime back to prepare a comprehensive plan on what to do and how to train. I feel we have things sorted, now just need to work harder,” the 24-year-old said.

Published on Apr 27, 2026