Want to make shooting sport affordable and accessible to all: Gagan Narang

Through innovations, Olympic medallist Gagan Narang is seeking to make shooting sport affordable and accessible for aspiring shooters from modest backgrounds.

Narang is familiar with the struggle young athletes face in their quest to reach the top.

Twenty years ago, after he came home crying, the London Olympics bronze medallist shooter has seen his father sell his house to buy him an air rifle. 13 years later, Narang would go on to become only the second Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal in 10m air rifle.

The 36-year-old now mentors shooters at the Gun for Glory academy.

"The idea is to make shooting as accessible and affordable as possible. I hope it becomes like badminton and cricket and reach almost every house," Narang told PTI during a chat.

"We are trying to explore innovative ways to help the aspiring shooters, like making everything as much subsidised as possible. More the subsidies, the better it is. Now how to get subsidy, there also we are trying to take help through innovations," the multiple World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medallist said.

"The endeavour is to give the shooters who have just started, and not just the established ones, the best of facilities and training, the technical bit as well as the mental aspect."