'No objection if NRAI spares Bindra from trials'

The Sports Ministry on Saturday said any selection process that leaves out the best talents is faulty and it would have no issues if National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) exempts ace shooter Abhinav Bindra from trials.

India's first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav is apparently upset at being repeatedly asked to appear in trials and feels NRAI should instead accept his scores in tournaments abroad for selection.

Joint secretary in the Sports Ministry Injeti Srinivas informed that the Ministry was flexible and would not object if NRAI decides to exempt elite shooters from trials.

"It's for the National Sports Federations (NSF) to lay down the selection criteria. If NRAI tells the Ministry that they want to follow a separate approach for the top shooters and exempt Abhinav from trials, we would have no objection. But we have received no such request till now," Srinivas said.

"The ministry insists on NSFs having a well-calibrated selection criteria implemented in a transparent manner so that it results in the best team representing the country. Now what the criteria should be is something left entirely to the NSFs," he explained.

"What should be the criteria, whether performance in tournaments abroad should carry more weightage or the trials, it is up to the NRAI to decide. The Sports Ministry doesn't come into the picture," Srinivas said.

Srinivas said it was surprising that the Sports Ministry was unnecessarily dragged into the selection debate. He also felt that elite shooters like Abhinav and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore deserve customised training.

"The Ministry has no doubts whatsoever that Bindra is our top shooter and that's why he, along with some other elite shooters, has been exempted from the standardised training of our core group of shooters.

"That's precisely why marksmen of the calibre of Bindra, Rathore or Manavjit Singh are allowed tailor-made, personalised training. We have spent Rs 1.5 crore for the training Bindra is undergoing and he and his coach visited the ministry in the past to appreciate that," Srinivas said.

Srinivas said the Ministry had advised Bindra to focus on his training and promised to sort things out.

"I spoke to his father last week and told him to ask Abhinav to concentrate on his training so that he is in the best of mindset and if there is any problem, we would sort it out. We have received a mail from Abhinav and would handle that request as well," the Ministry official added.