“Don’t remove shooting from 2022 CWG roster”

With shooting set to be dropped from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games’ roster, India’s Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has shot off a letter to his British counterpart and to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president, asking them to intervene and ensure that the sport remains a part of the 2022 edition.

The CGF has left it to the host nation, in this case England, to keep or remove shooting, which has always been an optional sport, from the schedule.

Rathore wrote not only to the CGF President Louise Martin but also sought intervention from Britain’s MP Matt Hancock, who is Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Rathore, himself an Olympic medal winning shooter, said removal of the sport from the CWG 2022 will create negative impact on the Indian and as well international shooters.

“Dropping the sport from the CWG, 2022 would come as a major setback to the large number of athletes in these countries who would be preparing for this competition and also the sport loving public who have watched and enjoyed this sport over so many Commonwealth and Olympic Games,” Rathore wrote in his letter.

“I am, therefore, soliciting your kind intervention in the matter to retain Shooting as a sport in the CWG-2022, Birmingham,” the Athens Games silver medalist in double trap wrote.

Birmingham has expressed its reservations about putting together facilities to host shooting events.