Jaspal Rana, a legendary pistol marksman and personal coach of Manu Bhaker, said on Thursday that he had been asked by Pierre Beauchamp, India’s high performance director, to leave Karni Singh Shooting Range. Rana’s comments sparked a debate, with the national federation backing the Canadian instead of the homegrown legend.
Rana, one of India’s most decorated shooters, confirmed to PTI that he visited the shooting range to supervise Manu’s training as the shooter gears up for the Paris Olympics.
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Who is he to stop me: Jaspal Rana
According to Rana, Beauchamp quoted the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) established by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and asked Rana to leave.
“I was standing quite far from where the shooters were practising. But he came and asked me that I can’t stand there, that I need to leave the range, or I will get into trouble with the NRAI,” Rana said.
“I told him to not worry about me. I told him that I am Arjuna Awardee and have been a national coach. But he said you are not a national coach (now), so please leave. My question is who is he to stop me? What is his background?” the 47-year-old asked.
However, the NRAI in a statement sided with the Canadian, saying the SOPs are to be “adhered to in better interest of the sport”.
“Shooting has won record quotas for the upcoming Olympics. The hard work of athletes and coaches/support staff is supplemented with careful coordination by the High-Performance Director. The shooters and personal coaches are advised to strictly adhere to SOPs during camps/competitions in better interest of the sport,” the NRAI said.
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