The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is planning to change its selection system for the Olympics, relying now on the results of open trials held six months before the next Games rather than quota places won in various international events.

The NRAI governing body will vote on this decision before it is put before the selection committee for approval, secretary-general Baljeet Singh Sethi said on Monday. Until now, shooters who won quota places to participate in the Olympics were picked but the Sethi said it was a mistake because “reputation, and not form” was being taken into account.

The international body’s (ISSF) rules stipulate that quota places are given to the country and not to individual shooters. It is then the prerogative of the national federation to allot the Olympic berth to a shooter it thinks is a medal prospect. The first round of Olympic qualification begins in New Delhi, which will host the World Cup in March 2010. “The first World Cup in India will also offer 28 quota places. We expect over 1,000 shooters from around the world for the event,” Sethi said.