India's offer to host separate Commonwealth championships for shooting and archery, both absent in the 2022 Birmingham Games, will be considered by the Commonwealth Games Federation in the coming weeks, CGF chief executive David Grevemberg said.
The Indian Olympic Association has offered to host, in New Delhi or Chandigarh, separate Commonwealth championships for these two disciplines months before the actual Games begins in Birmingham.
The groundbreaking proposal could pave the way for facility-sharing among member countries, said the IOA which had earlier threatened to boycott the Birmingham Games over the absence of shooting, which is an optional sport for host cities.
India has promised to bear the cost of these two events and wants the results to count towards the overall medal tally in Birmingham.
Bangladesh Olympic Association will send the names of eight athletes from five disciplines – archery, shooting, weightlifting, boxing and karate – for the Olympic wildcards, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in July.https://t.co/7UyHVf9OmK#OLYMPICS #OLYMPIC #BOA #BANGLADESH
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 8, 2020
The proposal has been supported by the Indian government as well as the International Shooting Sport Federation and World Archery.
Shooting supplied 16 of India's 66 medals, including seven golds, at the 2018 Gold Coast Games where the country finished third in the medals table.
In shooting's absence, India could slip to anywhere between fifth and eighth in Birmingham, according to IOA estimates.
