The Commonwealth archery and shooting championships, which were planned to be held in Chandigarh before the 2022 Birmingham Games, are cancelled due to the uncertainty faced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commonwealth Games India (CGI) Executive Board took this decision with the support of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
CGF President Dame Louise Martin DBE said in a statement: “We are disappointed that the 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships will no longer take place however, this is the right decision to take in the current climate.”
“Despite this news, there are numerous key learnings that will benefit our ongoing work as we look to innovate and create new Commonwealth Sports Properties. The Chandigarh 2022 concept has identified exciting opportunities regarding future co-hosting possibilities that we must further explore,” he added.
However, the Indian Olympic Association had not ratified the hosting of the championships, till last month referring to the lack of an in-person meeting in light of the pandemic. The IOA also admitted that the health crisis would make it really difficult to conduct these events.
While the cost for the shooting championship was to be met largely by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the Indian government was supposed to solely fund the archery event.
The pandemic has hit hard in India with the death toll crossing 4 lakh and cases continuing to rise by over 40,000 a day.
