India's shooting contingent selected for the ISSF World Championship Doha 2026 will commence a structured preparatory camp at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi from 22 October 2026, covering athletes across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines. The camp is the final domestic preparation phase before the squad travels to Doha, Qatar, where the championship is scheduled from 1 to 14 November 2026.

Camp Structure and Phases

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has divided the preparatory programme into discipline-wise phases. Athletes in the 10m Rifle, 10m Pistol, Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, and Skeet events will train from 22 to 29 October. The 50m Rifle and Women's 25m Pistol groups will remain in camp through 31 October, while the Trap contingent joins later, training from 28 October to 4 November.

Key Athletes Across Disciplines

The 10m Air Rifle men's squad features Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, and Paarth Makhija, while Shambhavi Kshirsagar, Sonam Uttam Maskar, and Elavenil Valarivan form the women's team. In 10m Air Pistol, Manu Bhaker leads a women's squad alongside Suruchi and Sainyam, with Ravin Kumar, Jaypal Malviya, and Kamaljeet comprising the men's side.

The Skeet men's squad includes Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, and Anantjeet Singh Naruka, while Ganemat Sekhon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal, and Raiza Dhillon form the women's team. The Trap women's squad — featuring Neeru, Manisha Keer, and Pragati Dubey — joins from 28 October alongside the men's squad of Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, and Udaiveer Singh Jaijee.

In the 50m Rifle category, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, and Akhil Sheoran represent the men, while Anjum Moudgil, Ashi Chouksey, and Vidarsa K. Vinod feature in the women's squad. The 25m Rapid Fire Pistol men's team comprises Suraj Sharma, Gurpreet Singh, and Bhavesh Shekhawat, with Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya T.S. in the women's squad.

What the High Performance Director Said

Dr. Pierre Beauchamp, High Performance Director of the NRAI, underscored the strategic importance of the camp. 'The preparatory camp in New Delhi is an important phase for our athletes as they fine-tune their performance ahead of the ISSF World Championship in Doha. Our focus is on working closely with the coaches to establish clear performance benchmarks for every athlete, aligned with what is required to qualify for the finals at the highest level of international competition,' he said.

Beauchamp added that the camp will closely track 'qualification-to-final conversion and podium conversion percentages' as key readiness indicators. 'With the Olympic qualification process for Los Angeles 2028 beginning at the World Championship, this camp will be crucial in ensuring that our athletes are technically, physically and mentally ready to deliver their best,' he noted.

LA 2028 Quotas on the Line

The Doha championship carries significant weight beyond the title race: 36 Olympic quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will be awarded across the competition, making it the first major qualifying milestone in the LA cycle. India, which delivered a strong shooting performance at Paris 2024, will be under pressure to secure quotas early. This camp, therefore, is as much about Olympic pipeline management as it is about immediate championship results.