January 17 - Abhinav Bindra (pictured), India's first ever individual Olympic gold medallist, has hit out at the country's national governing body after he was left out of next month's Commonwealth Shooting Championships as he continues to consider his future in the sport.



The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) have left the Beijing Olympic 10 metre champion out of the squad for the event in New Delhi because he has not attended any of the training camps.

They have also left the 2004 Olympic silver medallists Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore and Ronjon Sodhi out of the team for the 11-day Championships, which are due to open on February 17, for the same reason.

Bindra, who is based in Germany, claims that he returned home last month for the trials only to discover when he arrived in India that they had been cancelled.

He said: “There are days when I feel like throwing away my rifle.

"The whole thing started in July [2009]  when the Sports Ministry said that the NRAI wants me to compete in the trials for Commonwealth Championships.

"I was communicated through a letter by the Sports Ministry in July and September 2009 that the NRAI had intimated that I must participate in the selection trial in December for the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in February 2010 and the World Cup in March.
 
"I gave my confirmation in September about my participation in these events.
 
"I planned my training in Europe accordingly and came back specially in December only to learn that there were no trials taking place.

"I am pretty hurt by the way the NRAI has treated me. I have been training in Europe and shooting is an individual sport.

"Each shooter has his own requirements and we are required to train according to our needs.

"International performance also means a lot in a shooter’s career and I want at least some professionalism from the national body.

"Now I get to know that my name is not there in the team for the Commonwealth Championship.

"I am not upset that somebody else is getting a chance, I am only upset about the process.

"First they throw me out of the Commonwealth Games core group, then they deny me a contract with the sponsors and now I am not there in the Commonwealth Championship team."

The NRAI defended their decision.

Secretary Rajeev Bhatia said: "He [Bindra] had not taken part in any event since the Beijing Olympics before taking part in an event in December last year.

"How can we know that he is in form or not?

"If the Ministry instructs us that we cannot select any shooter without trial, we have to go by that.

"Even Sachin Tendulkar appears for fitness tests and camps."


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April 2009: Indian Olympic champion dropped from squad for New Delhi
March 2009: India's shooting coach quits
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