Mixed team events are boring: Sidi

Hungarian rifle shooter Peter Sidi is unhappy with the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) for introducing the mixed team event.

“It’s boring and will not attract spectators,” he said on the sidelines of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup her4e on Saturday.

To ensure gender equality at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has proposed that international sports federations have more participation by women.

The ISSF is in the process of replacing three men’s event — 50m rifle prone, 50m free pistol and double trap with mixed team events.

Shooters across the globe are against the move.

The ISSF executive board had discussed the issue earlier this month in Delhi, and will send its recommendation to the IOC.

At 37, Sidi is going strong. “If I am winning medals, I don’t see any reason to quit. In shooting, there are people who have won Olympic medals at 50,” he said.

He wondered why Abhinav Bindra, India’s Beijing Olympic champion in 10m air rifle, had called it a day.

“He was a great talent and should have continued,” Sidi said on Bindra.

On missing the podium at the Rio Olympics, he finished fifth in 10m air rifle behind Bindra, the Hungarian remarked, “It’s a mystery yet to be solved. The day I come to know it will be easier for me to win that elusive Olympic medal.”

Sidi was also unhappy that his government had backed out of the bidding process for the 2024 Olympic Games on Friday.

“Public opinion was against bidding for the Games. There are two factions and the one that was against it got the mandate, so the government had to back out. It’s not good for sports,” he said.

According to him, the infrastructure for organising the Olympics was in place in Budapest and people like him were hopeful of winning the bid. “Budapest had an edge over the other two cities in the race — Paris and Los Angeles,” he added.

Politics is bad for sports. This is spoiling the atmosphere.”

SIDI WONDERED WHY ABHINAV BINDRA, INDIA’S BEIJING OLYMPIC CHAMPION IN 10M AIR RIFLE, HAD CALLED ITADAY