No objection if NRAI spares Bindra from trials:Sports Min

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) The Indian Sports Ministry
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
told PTI 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
tomorrow 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's upto 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 yesterday and would
handle that request as well," the Ministry official added. PTI
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