New Delhi is buzzing with anticipation as India’s elite rifle and pistol shooters turn their focus to the National Selection Trials 3 (Group A). Fresh from dominating the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026 on home soil, where they clinched 76 medals including 39 golds, the shooters are now preparing for this crucial event set for March 6-10 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
This trial comes at a pivotal time, just before a packed schedule of international and domestic competitions. Top athletes will compete in 10 events, covering all eight Olympic disciplines plus men’s and women’s rifle prone categories. The stakes are high: strong performances here will secure spots in the national team for major events later in the year.
Meanwhile, Group B athletes head to Bhopal’s MP State Shooting Academy for their Rifle/Pistol Selection Trials 3 and 4 from March 6-22. Post-trials, the national squad will gather for a coaching camp in New Delhi from March 10-21.
Shotgun shooters have already kicked off their national squad camp in the capital, with skeet athletes reporting first and trap shooters joining on March 8. This camp precedes a pre-event training for the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Tangier, Morocco, from March 21 to April 3.
Teams for the season’s first ISSF World Cups in rifle/pistol (Grenada and Munich) and shotgun (Tangier and Almaty) have been announced. As the new Olympic cycle for Los Angeles 2028 begins, the first quota places will be up for grabs at the ISSF World Championship Doha in October-November 2026. The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026 also loom large, promising another stage for Indian shooters to shine.
With domestic trials and international meets shaping team selections across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines, India’s shooting fraternity is poised for a blockbuster season.