Chandigarh to host Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in 2022; medals to be added to the final tally after the Games

London: India will host the Commonwealth shooting and archery championships in January 2022 and the medals from the two events will be counted for “ranking of competing nations” at the Birmingham Games, the CGF said on Monday.

A Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships is set to take place in India in 2022 after a proposal to stage the event was approved by the CGF Executive Board 🇮🇳https://t.co/0uNToFltC8 pic.twitter.com/1nI6zAgwOw

— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) February 24, 2020

However the medals will be added to the final tally one week after the conclusion of the Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced the decision after its Executive Board meeting from 21 to 23 February.

The National Rifle Association of India President Raninder Singh also confirmed the same and shared details about the development in a series of tweets.

I have the honour to report that the proposal submitted by NRAI to Commonwealth India, and forwarded by them for Approval by the CGF Executive Board seeking to hold a Shooting & Archery Competition in Chandigarh in January of 2022 has been accepted. Within a maximum of a week...

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) February 24, 2020

...of the closing ceremony concluding in Birmingham, the CGF shall release a medal table aggregating the results from both separate events that would convey a further and final legitimate ranking of all competing nations and territories.

This is a pathbreaking and innovative...

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) February 24, 2020

...approach that the CGF is piloting in partnership with Commonwealth India, the NRAI and the Archery Federation of India, which meets the requirements of all stakeholders specially those of all our commonwealth shooting & archery athletes.

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) February 24, 2020

I would be devoid of gratitude if I do not specifically acknowledge the contribution of my colleague, Ajay Singh Dev, along with who many hours of midnight oil was burnt preparing and collating multiple reports, communiques, media briefings and the like over a two year period.

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) February 24, 2020

We have presented our initial reaction & statement to keep all abreast of the evolving scenario in this unique and unprecedented development, that augers so well for the future of the commonwealth sporting movement. A detailed press release by the NRAI follows.

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) February 24, 2020

The decision can be considered a big win for India after it threatened to boycott the 2022 Birmingham Games for dropping shooting from the roster.

“A Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships is set to take place in India in 2022 after a proposal to stage the event was approved by the CGF Executive Board,” the CGF said in a release.

The two events will be held in Chandigarh in January 2022 while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is scheduled from 27 July to 7 August, 2022.

“The decision confirmed that Chandigarh 2022 and Birmingham 2022 will be two separately organised and funded Commonwealth Sport events.

“One week following the Closing Ceremony of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the CGF shall issue a medal table that includes results from the Chandigarh 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships, as a further and final legitimate ranking of competing nations and territories from the respective competitions,” the CGF added.

In July 2019, the IOA had proposed to boycott the 2022 Birmingham CWG for dropping shooting from the roster.

But, following a visit by CGF President Louise Martin and CEO David Grevemberg in November last, the IOA withdrew its warning during the Annual General Body Meeting in December.

The IOA, while withdrawing the boycott call, proposed to host Commonwealth Championships in shooting, as well as in archery, in 2022 with the condition that the medals awarded in these two events should be recognised in the final tally of the participating countries for the 2022 CWG.

The government quickly gave the approval for these two championships. While the cost for the shooting championship is to be met largely by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the archery event would be funded solely by the Government of India.

India also received wholehearted support from International Shooting Sports Federation and World Archery, the global governing bodies of the two sports.