Swapnil Kusale Stands for Indian League to Promote Shooting Globally

Key Highlights

• Swapnil Kusale supports Shooting League of India for global exposure and grassroots development.
• Paris Olympics bronze medalist Kusale emphasizes league's role in popularizing shooting among youth.

Swapnil Kusale, a bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics, believes the upcoming Shooting League of India (SLI) will increase exposure to the sport not only in India, but around the world.

Earlier this month, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced the registration window for the SLI's inaugural edition. The tournament will take place from November 20 to December 2 and is expected to attract some of the best shooters from India and around the world.

Swapnil believes the tournament will help to popularise the sport in India, particularly following the contingent's success at the 2024 Summer Games.

"After winning medals in Paris, the interest and knowledge of shooting as a sport are increasing," said Swapnil, who is set to travel to Munich next moth for the ISSF World Cup.

"The Indian public has begun to understand that there are various disciplines of shooting, including pistol, rifle, and shotgun. However, the sport requires greater global exposure.

"We want schoolchildren and grassroots athletes to be inspired to take up the sport. As a result, we must ensure that we perform well in this league so that the sport is viewed in a new light," said Swapnil, who competes in the 50m Rifle 3 positions discipline.

Swapnil made history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win a medal in the 50m rifle 3 position (3P) event at the Olympics last summer.

The inaugural SLI will include mixed team events in pistol (10M, 25M), rifle (10M, 50M 3P), and shotgun (trap and skeet), as determined by the NRAI technical committee.

The tournament will feature eight teams, with four of them divided into two pools for the league stage. To ensure a balance between experienced players and emerging talents, the selected players will be divided into four tiers: elite champions, world elite, national champions, junior and youth championships.

Swapnil also explained how an athlete's mindset differs in a league-style environment versus competing in national or international events.

Also Read: Tottenham Hotspur Win Europa League, Ending 17-Year Trophy Wait

"All of the athletes are very excited because we've been competing in international and national tournaments for many years. But in a league, we have to adopt a different mindset and gain a lot of exposure. "The competition level also rises when top talent participates," the 29-year-old said.

"In competitions, while we represent the national flag, we compete as individuals. In a league setting, we will compete for a franchise, and it will be a new challenge to play under the team's direction and environment. "Having unity among the players in a team will also be a crucial aspect and also helps in further elevating our performances," Swapnil added.