Shooting goes online but Baki, Shakil miss out
While in home confinement, chess players have found it ideal time to hone their skills through playing chess online. Now another variety of sports stars - shooters -- are making make use of their downtime by transforming their living rooms into makeshift ranges to engage in online competition following game's world governing body's cancellation of most competitions because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative, first-of-its-kind, was taken by former Indian rifle shooter Shimon Sharif and the two phases of the event have already occurred and streamed live on internet platforms. Some 50 top air rifle and pistol shooters from Europe, India, Iran and other countries took part in the competition.
India's Sanjeev Rajput and Shahzar Rizvi won 10m air rifle and pistol events respectively. Rajput shot 252.6 in 24-shot final that was held on Saturday following successful hosting of the first round on April 15. Rizvi shot 241.7 to clinch the very best prize in 10m air pistol event.
The complete process was carried online, with an electronic target board and computer rendering it possible through make use of SCATT apps and an exercise software, which calibrates shots in such a way that they show results in line with the 10-metre distance.
"This competition can be an effort to keep our sport alive even in these a down economy," Sharif was quoted as saying by PTI. "This one is merely for the elite shooters but later we will organise competitions which will be available to all once every quarter with a prize money."
Bangladesh's rifle shooter Abdullah Hel Baki was invited to your competition, however the two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist declined the invitation because of lack of equipments and facilities in the home.
"I was invited to the web shooting competition, but I told them that people are all in the home where there is absolutely no opportunity to turn things right into a makeshift range," Baki told The Daily Star yesterday.
While Baki didn't follow the live streaming, another Commonwealth Games silver medallist, pistol shooter Shakil Ahmed, did watch the event online.
"I watched the live streaming after being informed by the BSSF general secretary [Entekhabul Hamid]. I had no idea about any of it earlier," Shakil told The Daily Star.
"It would have already been easy for us to compete in this competition if we had electronic targets and computers which were sent to the competitors' houses by the respective federations. That's not possible in our country. We aren't that advanced technologically to avail such opportunities," said Shakil, also a gold medallist of 2016 South Asian Games.
However, both Baki and Shakil said that they would have felt better if they were able to take part in the web shooting championships.
