The ISSF World Cup final in New Delhi has lost some of its lusters as three of Britain’s top shotgun shooters, including Paris Olympics trap gold medalist, Nathan Hales, will not compete in the prestigious year-ending event due to “confusion” over paperwork that resulted in their visa denial. The World Cup final began on Monday at the Karni Singh Ranges, with elite shooters from across the world, including Olympic and World Championship medalists, participating in training sessions. The events will begin on Tuesday.
“No, he (Hales) is not (coming). They could not obtain their business visas in time. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but there was a difficulty…I believe what happened was that one of them (the shooters) was left pending, and they just didn’t have the time for it to be processed,” added the legendary double-trap marksman who won gold in the 2012 London Olympics.
Wilson, who had lately expressed a desire to coach the Indian trap squad, described it as a major blow for British shooters. “It’s a huge tragedy they aren’t competing. So there were three shooters: two in men’s trap (Hales and Matt Coward-Holley) and one in men’s skeet (Ben Llewellin). Ben obtained a tourist visa but was later informed by our organization that he
He applied incorrectly, and he had left it too late; he was reportedly rejected… I’m not sure why he was denied,” Wilson admitted. When asked if the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) had provided these shooters with information on how to apply for a visa, Wilson stated, “I would presume so, but I don’t think anyone knows who is to blame right now.
“But it’s just a shame that of all the teams, we’ve not got the Great Britain team and the Olympic gold medallist here, so it’s a real shame.” NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo stated, “I believe there was some confusion with the way they applied.”