India to host Commonwealth shooting event

India will host a Commonwealth archery and shooting championships six months ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which are being held in the British city of Birmingham.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said the event in Chandigarh in January 2022 and the main Games would be separately organised and funded.

But a week after the Birmingham closing ceremony it will issue a medal table including the Chandigarh results “as a further and final legitimate ranking of competing nations and territories from the respective competitions”.

Birmingham decided not to include shooting or archery in its programme for the 2022 Games, which will take place from July 27 to August 7.

India, which has a good record in shooting at the Commonwealth Games, initially threatened to boycott the Games but dropped that threat in December.

CGF president Dame Louise Martin said: “I am delighted that we have approved India’s ambitious proposal to host a Commonwealth archery and shooting championships in Chandigarh during 2022.

“Commonwealth archery and shooting athletes now have an unprecedented opportunity to compete in an elite event that will showcase the very best of Commonwealth sport and add value to the Commonwealth sports movement.”

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries, largely made up of former British colonies.