Being in CWG core group no big deal,says Bindra

“Since I’ve been training in Germany for quite a while,it is not possible for me to attend national championships or camps. In fact,I’ve never attended a camp in the past 15 years,” Bindra told The Indian Express.

“I’ve not talked to Mr Sethi for several months,so I don’t want to comment on this right away,” he added. “Having said that,being in that core group is no big deal. If there’s some talented shooter who they want to include in my place,I’ll happily make way for him.”

In a meeting on April 9,the NRAI had decided to make changes in the list of 150 shooters to be trained under the CWG preparation scheme. According to Sethi,the decision was made since the shooters themselves weren’t keen on attending training camps and were consistently absent from various events.

“We decided that since they were not interested in attending camps or competing anyway,others talented shooters can be included in their place and benefit from the scheme,” Sethi said. Though Bindra denied this,according to Sethi he had spoken to the shooter and asked about their availability for the training camp. “Bindra said that he would like to train on his own,and they could accommodate someone else,” said Sethi.

But Sethi denied reports that not training with the core group would hamper their chances of participating in the Commonwealth Games. “We’ll hold open trials for all. The top performers from that will be picked,” he said.

Meanwhile,double-trap shooter Rathore — a silver-medallist in the Athens Olympics — also said that skipping camps and competitions was a deliberate decision. “Early 2009 is the only time when we can afford to take some rest. Anyway,I’ll be back in the range competing in May and June,“ he said.