India's Shooting Stars Gear Up for National Selection Trials After Asian Championship Triumph
Upcoming National Selection Trials for Indian Shooters
New Delhi, March 5: After a stellar showing at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026 held in India, where the nation secured the top position with a remarkable haul of 76 medals—39 gold, 18 silver, and 19 bronze—India's elite rifle and pistol shooters are now preparing for the National Selection Trials 3 (Group A). These trials will take place at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi from March 6 to 10, 2026, as they gear up for a busy schedule of both international and domestic events starting next month.
Nearly all of India's leading shooters will participate in ten events, encompassing all eight Olympic disciplines along with rifle prone competitions for both men and women. Competitors will strive to achieve qualifying scores to bolster their chances of being selected for the national team for upcoming international contests later this year.
Simultaneously, the Rifle/Pistol Selection Trials 3 and 4 for Group B athletes will kick off tomorrow at the M.P. State Shooting Academy in Bhopal, running from March 6 to 22. Following the trials, the national squad will commence a coaching camp in New Delhi from March 10 to 21.
Additionally, the national camp for shotgun athletes has begun today in New Delhi, with skeet shooters being the first to report. Trap shooters are scheduled to join the camp on March 8.
This national camp will precede the pre-event training for the ISSF World Cup Shotgun, the first World Cup event of the year, set to take place in Tangier, Morocco, from March 21 to April 3.
The Indian teams for the initial two Rifle/Pistol World Cup stages (Granada and Munich) and Shotgun events (Tangier and Almaty) have already been announced.
As the new Olympic cycle leading to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics commences this year, the first quota spots will be contested at the ISSF World Championship in Doha, scheduled for October–November. The season will also include the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026, where Indian shooters aim to replicate their previous successes. With these significant events approaching, both domestic and international competitions will be vital for team selections across rifle, pistol, and shotgun categories.