Shooters are facing issues due to faulty gear at the Karni Singh range, where the National Championships are taking place.

The electronic target systems at the Sports Authority of India-owned venue are in desperate need of an upgrade. Many firing points in the qualification areas are acting up, but the authorities have been slow to replace them, leading to frustrations for shooters during competitions.

When the target systems mess up the scoring, the technical officials have to move the shooter to a different lane, and they have to complete their remaining shots from there, as per the rules.

On Friday, Shahzar Rizvi, the silver medalist from the 2018 world championships in pistol shooting, went through a tough time when his shooting lane was switched three times because of target malfunctions during the men's pistol qualification relay. He had only managed to fire 34 shots from his first lane when the machine malfunctioned. After that, he was moved to a new lane, but another technical issue popped up during the sighting period. Eventually, he was assigned a third lane to finish his match (60 shots). To his shock, the screen indicated that the match was over even though he still had five shots left. With the qualification match still ongoing at the 80-lane range and no other lanes available for him, the error was fixed, and he completed the match with a score of 574.

Rizvi, who competes for the Air Force team, has asked the jury for a rematch. "There were constant technical issues during his match. How can you stay focused and shoot? We’ve asked the NRAI to allow a rematch. He’s put in so much hard work in training, and this experience has really shaken him," his brother Ahamar, who is also a shooter, shared with HT.

It was also reported that another international shooter, Ravinder Singh, faced a similar lane change during a different qualification relay.

A coach mentioned that several pistol shooters have encountered issues due to technical mistakes at the nationals.

The shooting stadium got a makeover during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. While the equipment in the finals range has been updated, the older target systems are still being used in the qualification ranges. The SAI venue is also recognized as a National Centre of Excellence, where some of India's top shooters train.

"A technical official, who preferred to remain unnamed, noted that the electronic target systems in the three qualification ranges (10m, 25m, and 50m) were meant to be replaced before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but that hasn’t happened yet."

Additionally, the paper rolls used for scoring aren’t functioning properly. These problems were highlighted to the authorities during the Olympic selection trials last year.

Technical errors happen quite often. For shooters aiming at 50m targets, it’s tough to figure out what’s going on since the distance is so great. "Whenever there are major competitions in Delhi, shooters tend to doubt the outcomes," mentioned Deepali Deshpande, India’s leading rifle coach who prepared Swapnil Kusale for his bronze at the Paris Olympics.

SAI needs to set aside some funds to purchase and set up new machines. An official from NRAI acknowledged that the target systems are in need of an upgrade. "We know about the issue, and the process to replace the target systems will kick off soon," the official stated.

As shooting continues to gain popularity in India, the Karni Singh range is facing an influx of tournaments, including state competitions from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. During this nationals, the men’s pistol event alone attracted 4,000 shooters across various senior and age-group categories, with qualifications stretching over 14 days.

"The range is busy all year round. Everyone from Delhi and nearby areas trains here. At the Nationals, events run late into the evening and start early in the morning. The machines are really being pushed to their limits," said a range official.

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