Shooting Sports in India

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is the national body for shooting. It was formed on 17 April 1951. Its aim was to develop shooting as a sport and to train civilians for self-defence.

Who was its first president?

• G.V. Mavlankar was the founder and first president.
• He was also the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• Govind Ballabh Pant and Lal Bahadur Shastri were later presidents.
• Y.B. Chavan, a Home Minister, also held the post.

What did the Lok Sabha do in 1953?

• The Lok Sabha passed a resolution in 1953.
• It asked the NRAI to give training through rifle associations across India.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1951, Mavlankar, Speaker”. The founder and the date go together.

Abhinav Bindra won the men’s 10-metre air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His final total was 700.5. He was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.

Why was it a big moment?

• It was India’s first Olympic gold since the men’s hockey team won at Moscow in 1980.
• Hockey is a team event. Bindra’s gold was India’s first in a single-person event.
• The win inspired young shooters across India.

Is it India’s only individual gold?

• No. Neeraj Chopra won an individual gold in javelin at Tokyo 2020.
• So Bindra’s gold was the first, not the only one.

What is the memory hook?

Think “2008, 10 m air rifle, 700.5”. Year, event and score.

Three more medals came before Paris 2024. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the first in 2004. Two came at London in 2012. They show a pattern: a medal came at 2004, 2008 and 2012.

What did each shooter win?

• Athens 2004: Rathore won silver in the men’s double trap.
• London 2012: Vijay Kumar won silver in the men’s 25-metre rapid fire pistol.
• London 2012: Gagan Narang won bronze in the men’s 10-metre air rifle.

Why was Rathore’s silver special?

• It was India’s first Olympic shooting medal.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Rathore silver, Bindra gold, Vijay silver, Narang bronze”. The order is 2004, 2008, 2012, 2012.

India won three shooting medals at Paris 2024. All three were bronze. It was India’s best-ever haul in a single sport at one Olympics. Before this, India had never won more than two medals in any one sport at a Games.

What did Manu Bhaker win?

• She won bronze in the women’s 10-metre air pistol.
• She was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal.
• She won a second bronze in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team, with Sarabjot Singh.
• She became the first Indian to win two medals at the same Olympics.

What did Swapnil Kusale win?

• He won bronze in the men’s 50-metre rifle three positions on 1 August.
• It was India’s first Olympic medal in that event.
• It was India’s third shooting medal at Paris.

What is the full count now?

• India has seven Olympic shooting medals: one gold, two silver and four bronze.
• The gold is Bindra’s. The silvers are Rathore’s and Vijay Kumar’s.
• The bronzes are Narang’s, Bhaker’s two and Kusale’s.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Paris, three bronze, Bhaker two”. Three medals, all bronze, two of them one woman’s.

Two central schemes help Indian athletes. They are the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Khelo India. Bhaker’s journey is one example of that support.

What is TOPS?

• TOPS stands for Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
• It gives money to top athletes for training and competition.
• It pays for training and practice abroad.
• Bhaker received over Rs 1.35 crore under it for training and competition.

What is Khelo India?

• Khelo India is a scheme to find and groom young players.
• Of 117 athletes at the Paris Olympics, 28 came through Khelo India.

What is the memory hook?

Think “TOPS tops up elite athletes; Khelo India finds the young”. One scheme is for the elite, the other for beginners.

Which traps repeat?

• Bindra’s 2008 gold was India’s first individual Olympic gold. It is not the only one.
• India’s first Olympic shooting medal was Rathore’s silver in 2004, not Bindra’s gold in 2008.
• The NRAI was formed in 1951. Its first president, Mavlankar, was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• Paris 2024 gave India three shooting bronzes, not a gold or silver.
• Manu Bhaker won two medals at Paris. Kusale won the third.
• India’s seven shooting medals are one gold, two silver and four bronze.

What is the memory hook?

Think “2004 first medal, 2008 gold, 2024 three bronze”. Three dates cover most questions.