Historic ISSF World Cup New Delhi 2017 To See Indian Stars Take On The World’s Best

New Delhi, Feb 20, 2017: The first stage of the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) is set to get underway in New Delhi’s Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range from February 22-March 4, 2017. The event will have eight competition days beginning February 24 till March 3. A total of 50 nations will see 452 athletes take 584 starts, among them reigning and former Olympic Champions, World Champions and Continental Champions lining up against India’s top guns, in a first of its kind historic global shooting competition ever held in the country.

Speaking to the media at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Mr. Raninder Singh, President, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), said, “ The sport of Shooting has come a long way in the country and the ISSF World Cup New Delhi 2017 is certainly yet another inflexion point for the sport in the country. We warmly welcome all visiting athletes, officials and delegates. It is a proud moment for all our countrymen and we are confident that our athletes will give their very best to make the tricolor fly high. This would not have been possible without the proactive support of the Government, the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Authority of India and I wish to thank all of them for making this happen.”

Also present on the occasion were former Olympic Bronze medalist Gagan Narang, Olympians Jeetu Rai, Heena Sidhu and Kynan Chenai, who will be spearheading the Indian challenge. All of them exuded confidence before the World’s top shooting competition and asserted that while it was a great feeling playing a World Cup at home, both home advantage and pressure of expectations would play a role.

A world-class field has already started assembling in the capital for the season’s First World Cup, interestingly the complete cycle for which also ends in India this year with the World Cup Finals, slated at the same venue in October. Among the world’s top shooters present will be the likes of Diana Bacosi, Gabriele Rosetti, Hoang Xuan Vinh, Mengxue Zhang, Felipe Almeida Wu, Kimberly Rhodes and double Dakar rally champion and Olympic Bronze medalist in Shooting, Nasser Al-Attaiya.