Minor changes to shooting selection criteria for LA Olympics but NRAI retains OST format

Rifle and pistol shooters will again be selected on their Final Average Score in the Olympic Selection Trials, a process that drew some criticism during the Paris Olympics cycle.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Sunday announced the selection criteria for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, retaining the Olympic Selection Trials (OST) format used for the 2024 Paris Games.

The new criteria for pistol and rifle events will come into force with the start of the ISSF World Championship in Doha on Sunday and remain in effect until the selection of the Indian team for the Los Angeles Olympics.

An NRAI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the selection process would largely follow the previous Olympic cycle, with a few modifications. The selection will be based on each shooter's Final Average Score (FAS), calculated using the average of their three highest OST scores, along with applicable Quota Bonus Points (QBP).

Under the system adopted for the Paris Olympics, shooters in the rifle and pistol events, including those who had secured Olympic quota places for India and those who had performed well in domestic and international competitions, were required to compete in a series of trials in Delhi and Bhopal. The top six shooters in each event were included in the selection process.

The trials were intended to assess the form of quota winners against other leading Indian shooters ahead of the Games. However, the system triggered considerable discontent and legal challenges, with some athletes who had secured Olympic quotas failing to reproduce their best form in the trials and subsequently losing their places in the Indian contingent.

One of the most prominent instances was that of former world champion Rudrankksh Patil, who lost his place in the men's 10m air rifle team to Sandeep Singh, who topped the NRAI selection trials. Sandeep eventually finished 12th at the Paris Olympics.

The NRAI has made it mandatory for athletes to compete in at least three of the four OSTs to remain eligible for selection as was the case for the Paris Olympics selection.

"Eligible athletes must participate in at least three of the four OSTs to be considered for selection (for 2028 LA Games). The FAS will be calculated only for athletes who have at least three OST scores.

"If an athlete enters a trial but subsequently withdraws before completing it, for reasons known to the athlete, the athlete's score shall be treated as the exact arithmetic total standing at the point of withdrawal for selection purposes," the NRAI said in a statement.

As in the previous Olympic cycle, the NRAI has also reiterated that an Olympic quota place belongs to the country and not the athlete who secures it. "Under the NRAI's existing criteria, any Olympic quota place won by an Indian athlete belongs to the NRAI and the country. The athlete who wins a quota place will receive due consideration under this criterion, but winning a quota does not, by itself, guarantee that the athlete will represent India at the 2028 Olympic Games.

"Quota winners, along with other qualified athletes, must participate in the selection trials in accordance with this criterion," the NRAI added.

The NRAI has also laid down eligibility requirements for participation in the OSTs in line with the ISSF qualification system.

Athletes must have competed in at least two ISSF championships -- the ISSF World Championship, ISSF World Cups or Asian Championships offering quota places -- between November 1, 2026, and April 30, 2028, in each individual event for which they seek entry at the Los Angeles Olympics.

India's campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games recently ended with just three gold medals, a significant decline from the seven golds it won at the 2023 Hangzhou edition.