CGF delegates to meet IOA officials over exclusion of shooting from Commonwealth Games

Delegates of Commonwealth Games Federation will be meeting the officials of Indian Olympic Association on November 14 to discuss the exclusion of shooting from the Commonwealth Games, a source within the IOA confirmed on Friday.

The source also informed that before the meeting with CGF delegates, IOA has called for a meeting to set the agenda for November 14th.

"Before the meeting on 14th, the IOA has called for a meeting to set the agenda. We would be meeting on 13th so that we would be clear in our thoughts before the interaction with the CGF delegates," an IOA source told ANI.

"Let's see what the stand of CGF is. I cannot comment on what is going to happen. Let the meeting take place first. CGF's president and CEO are expected to take part in the meeting, the source added.

In September this year, IOA's Secretary General Rajeev Mehta had written to regional Vice-President of Commonwealth Sports Chris Chan over the exclusion of shooting from the event in 2022.

In the letter, Mehta had mentioned that the CGA/ NOC India was overlooked many times despite India being the only country in Asia to have hosted the Commonwealth Games in the last two decades.

He has also stated that India has maintained a cordial relationship with the office of CGF and all member countries in the region.

IOA also rallied behind the President of CGA/ NOC Narinder Batra who is also the president of International Hockey Federation (FIH) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The country's Olympic association had said that Batra was fully authorised to speak on behalf of Commonwealth sport in India and was supported by Executive Council and General Body of CGA/NOC India.

The association had also said that their president is working towards the advancement of sport in India and the recent communication regarding the exclusion of shooting from Commonwealth Games 2022 is not essentially a reflection of their position in Commonwealth Sport.

IOA also termed the exclusion of the sport as "anguish of billion people".