2010 shooting World Cup in Delhi cancelled

With no Olympic quota places on offer, the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) has decided not to host the pistol and rifle World Cup scheduled in Delhi in March next year.

"The 2010 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi has been cancelled. The Organising Committee of the New Delhi World Cup Stage withdrew its application in an official communication to the ISSF," the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) said in a statement.

"The Indian organisers explained the reason of their renouncement mentioning the decision of the IOC on the Olympic Quota Places distribution matter, stressing the fact that no Quota Places would be distributed at the New Delhi World Cup Stage," it added.

"The IOC restated that International Federations will only be able to distribute Olympic Quota Places starting from two years prior the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.

"Therefore, no Quota Places will be assigned during ISSF World Cup Stages, next year. The first Quota Places will be awarded during the 50th ISSF World Championships in all events that will take place in Munich from July 29 through August 11, 2010," the statement read.

There is speculation that the event has been cancelled as the shooting ranges would not be ready in time but with the Commonwealth Championship going ahead as planned in February next year, quota places seem to the only reason for the organisers' decision not to host it.

NRAI chief Baljeet Singh Sethi said the organisers decided against hosting the event as there were no quota places on offer.

"Since there were no Olympic quota places on offer, we decided not to host the World Cup," he said.

The alternative venue for staging the World Cup would be decided in the coming weeks.

"The ISSF will evaluate substitutive locations for the 2010 World Cup Stage in Rifle and Pistol events in the next weeks," the ISSF said.

Delhi is already racing against time to get the venues for the Commonwealth Games, scheduled in October next year, ready.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has expressed concerns about the capital city's preparedness, stating that the Games could end up being a "partial failure".

Photograph: Reuters