Foreign skeet coach abandons Indian shooters before Olympics Games

NEW DELHI: Italian skeet coach Ennio Falco will not train Indian shooters preparing for this year's Olympic Games as he has joined the Qatar national squad, an official of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said on Saturday.

Falco, 52, a former Olympic champion, had put in his papers in August 2020 as his request to have a say in the national team selection was rejected. The NRAI had declined his request on the grounds that it clashed with its policy of selecting shooters on the basis of ranking points.

"Since he was a good coach, the NRAI persuaded him to reconsider his decision. We wanted him to stay till the Olympics in July-August. Now, he has joined the Qatar team, so there is no chance of his re-joining India," an official familiar with the development told IANS.

The Olympic Games are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo. The NRAI was hoping that Falco would join the national team in February, ahead of the ongoing shotgun World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. IANS

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