Customs norms set for shooters
Following a meeting between the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and Customs Department, it was agreed that the national shooting squad will not face problems on arrival from international competitions if they have the necessary documents. Ahead of the national shooting team’s departure for the May 17-24 World Cup in rifle and pistol at Munich, Germany, NRAI had a meeting with Amandeep Singh, additional commissioner of Customs at IGI airport.
“There was some ambiguity but the confusion was cleared after the meeting. We expect smooth passage for the squad in future as the customs official has been briefed about the international shooting calendar,” Rajeev Bhatia, secretary NRAI told HT.
On May 9, when the national team arrived from Europe here at the IGI airport, it was detained by the Customs Department despite having valid weapons clearance document. The shooters were stranded for over eight hours.
An NRAI official said the disconcerting situation arose after Prashant Bishnoi, a national level shooter from Meerut, was caught running an illegal arms rackets. “He was under scanner and the administration became suspicious of other shooters too,” he added. Before the team departs for any international meet, the Customs Department endorses NRAI’s letter having details of shooters’ weapons. It is countersigned on arrival. “The same practice will be followed in future. There will be no change,” Bhatia added.
However, individual shooters eligible to import firearms can’t bring in their baggage via international flights as there is some confusion on that front. “Those shooters having import papers should prefer importing weapons through cargo. Otherwise, there is a possibility of facing problems,” said the NRAI official.
In a major step in its fight against doping, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said the country will have its first Athlete Passport Management Unit to handle administrative management of Biological Passports. There are 11 APMUs recognised by WADA all over the world while India does not have one. The NADA said that it will constitute a group of experts in related subjects for Athlete Biological Passport Management.
Vijay Mallya will remain India’s top representative in world motorsport body FIA at a time when he is facing extradition to India over charges of unpaid debts and money laundering. “We nominate representatives to FIA for a three-year term. If we replace Mallya now, we lose our seat on the World Motor Sport Council, which is not good for Indian motorsport,” FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim said.