Pawan Singh gets ISSF Gold medal for his contribution towards shooting sport
Pune, March 31: Pune’s Pawan Singh has added another feather in his hat as the National Rifle Association of India joint-secretary general has been honored with a gold medal for his services by the international shooting body. Singh, who was competition manager for the recently concluded ISSF World Cup in Delhi, received the gold medal from the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) for his services towards the sport. The gold medal was given for his contribution towards organizing ISSF World Cup in New Delhi in 2019. The World Cup offered Olympic quota places for the Tokyo Games.
The joint rifle-pistol and shotgun World Cup was the first international competition since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year. Conducting the World Cup was crucial for all stakeholders as the event offered ranking- based quota places for the Tokyo Olympics. With most of the major events either cancelled or postponed, the New Delhi was the only big competition which was looked up by the shooters from across the globe. The organizers didn’t disappoint and gave a safe and exciting competition to the participants, which will be beneficial to them ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
The NRAI and Sports Authority of India (SAI) successfully conducted the World Cup, which saw participation from 53 countries and over 290 athletes. Pawan Singh was the competition manager for the World Cup. The ISSF Gold medal is the third medal that has been bestowed upon Pawan Singh. He has earlier received a bronze medal for his outstanding work in organizing the Asian Olympic Qualifiers on a short notice, ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.
Earlier, he was honored with the silver medal from the ISSF in 2017. Pawan Singh was competition manager for the ISSF World Cup and ISSF World Cup Finals, which were successfully held in India. Pawan Singh is the first Indian to have received bronze, silver and gold medals from the ISSF. He is also the first from India, who has been selected to represent the country as Jury Member at the Tokyo Olympics. He is also the first Indian to have been elected twice in the RTS Judges Committee of the ISSF.
Talking about his medal, Pawan Singh said: “I am thankful to my colleagues at the federation and NRAI president Mr Raninder Singh along with the authorities at the SAI, who have extended every possible support to me. The award is always an honor that motivates soldiers like me, who believe in working towards the progress of the sport. Getting contentious appreciation from the ISSF is a big honor for me and it will certainly push me to work harder and learn more every day. At the same time, each medal comes with added responsibilities and expectations of people from me. The expectations push me to think out of the box and raise the bar. My next goal is to participate in the Tokyo Games as Jury, which is my dream, and I hope to give my best.”
