The NRAI's final preparatory camps for India's shooting contingent on the way to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan have been announced. The camps are meant to allow the country's top rifle, pistol and shotgun players to hone their skills and prepare for competition at the continental events.
The final phase of preparations will be done at two of India’s major shooting venues, the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal and Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. The rifle and pistol teams will be trained in Bhopal and the shotgun contingent will be trained in New Delhi.
According to the NRAI schedule, the rifle and pistol camp will be held from September 5 to 14 in Bhopal. The skeet squad will train in New Delhi from September 4 to 14, while the trap team will hold its final camp in the national capital from September 10 to 18.
The camps are at a crucial stage for India in preparation and the shooting competition at the Asian Games will take place from September 17 to October 3 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range in Japan. Many international competitors as well as young shooters who are looking to make an impact on the continental stage will be among the Indian delegation.
NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said the last camps are very important and India’s shooting contingent has to be confident. In addition, the 2026 Asian Games are a good time for Indian shooting to show up at the top in Asia. The NRAI is committed to providing athletes with all the facilities and support to perform efficiently.
NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh said that holding the camps at Bhopal and New Delhi will enable athletes to train at facilities suited to their respective disciplines. NRAI High Performance Director Dr. Pierre Beauchamp will manage the final preparation phase for precision, mental conditioning and technical refinement.
Asian Games 2026: India’s Shooting Squad.
India will have a strong shooting presence in rifle, pistol and shotgun competitions. Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will represent India in the men’s 10m air rifle event. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod are the women’s 10m air rifle team.
In the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil have been selected. In the women’s event, Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod and Tilottama Sen will be selected.
The pistol squad also includes some of India's most famous names. Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Kamaljeet and Aakash Bharadwaj will compete in the men's 10m air pistol event, while Suruchi, Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker will represent India in the women's category.
Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker will also compete in the women’s 25m sports pistol event alongside Rahi Sarnobat. Anish is the selected Indian shooter for the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event.
India will also participate in the mixed team events. Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavenil Valarivan will compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, while Kedarling B. Uchaganve and Suruchi will compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.
The shotgun contingent is equally competitive. Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi and Shapath Bharadwaj will be in men’s trap, while Neeru, Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat will represent India in women’s trap.
In skeet, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan have been selected for the men’s event. The women’s skeet team comprises Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon and Maheshwari Chauhan.
India will also compete in the shotgun mixed-team event. Kynan Chenai and Neeru will form the trap mixed team, and Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal will compete in the skeet mixed team event.
Final Preparations Ahead of Aichi-Nagoya.
The last camps will be especially important as the shooters enter the closing stages of their preparation. We are going to go beyond basic training and athletes will be focusing on consistency, precision, competition routines and mental strength at this point.
For experienced shooters like Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, Elavenil Valarivan, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, and others who have been on the field, the Asian Games will give them another chance to win medals at a major international event. The international talent of the squad that will also have a continental perspective and want to become one of the best shooters in Asia will also be needed in the international team.
The NRAI’s decision to split the last camps between Bhopal and New Delhi allows the different groups to concentrate on discipline-specific requirements. With only a short period before the shooting events start in Japan, the emphasis will be on eliminating technical errors, improving consistency and ensuring that athletes are mentally prepared for high-pressure situations.
India is one of Asia’s strongest shooting nations and the expectations will once again be high for the 2026 Asian Games. The last preparatory camps are therefore the final step in the preparation process, and the team will go down to Japan to try to get a good medal.
