At the Junior Shooting World Championship held in Lima, Peru, India missed out on a possible medal due to a penalty imposed on one of its marksmen. The athlete was sanctioned with a two-point deduction for arriving late to the preparation area prior to the 10m air pistol final.
The International Shooting Sport Federation, thus, took a disciplinary action against 20-year-old Umesh Choudhary for breaching Rule 6.17.1.3.
According to the rule, "a two (2) point/hit penalty will be deducted from the score of the first match shot/series if the athlete does not report on time".
A deduction of two points on his first shot, a 9.4, meant that it was registered as 7.4 and it severely dented his medal chance. He eventually finished sixth in the 8-man final after having qualified for the medal round with a score of 580 in the qualification stage.
The incident raises a question mark over the responsibility of coaches and support staff, besides the player himself, in India's 60-member contingent.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary, Rajiv Bhatia, refused to comment on the issue in detail without getting to the depth of it.
The reason for the athlete's delay is unknown.
"He might not have reached the arena on time. I have no idea why and for what reason he did not reach the arena on time. I will have to check with the officials there (in Peru)," Bhatia told PTI.
"I will not say anything on this because nothing has been reported to us. I don't want to discuss this.
"Do you think that only the coaches are responsible, and the shooters have no responsibility? They should know the rules, they are participating in the World Championships," Bhatia added.
