New Delhi, July 31 Indian Shooting team's high-performance manager Ronak Pandit believes the Shooting League of India (SLI) can use technology to help in growing the audiences for the sport.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Indian national camp in Dehradun in July, the former India shooter and pistol coach said that technology and animation can play a major differentiator during the league to present the sport in a new avatar.
"People look at shooting as a technical, boring sport. We need to make it fun and get animation involved. Through technology and animation, we can explain to the masses in a fun way what exactly happens in the sport," Pandit said.
"People need to be educated about various aspects of the sport but not in a technical manner.
Shooting League of India, the first franchise-based professional shooting competition in India, was sanctioned by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) earlier this year and has already received the support from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
Pandit believes the tournament needs to garner mass engagement to make the league lucrative for the investors and sustainable for years to come.
"We need to make the league sustainable by making it lucrative for people who are investing. Everything comes down to eyeballs and mass engagement, which cannot just happen through viewership. One also needs to experience it. We need to start thinking on how to make the sport fun and make it accessible for a common man," he said.
The first edition of the tournament will include mixed team events across pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3p), and shotgun (Trap & Skeet) categories. Shooters will be grouped into four tiers - Elite Champions, World Elite, National Champions, and Junior & Youth Champions - ensuring a dynamic blend of experience and emerging talent.
Giving an insight into the audience's mindset, Pandit explained why the league should focus on becoming a source of 'meaningful entertainment'.
"Shooting is not a spectator sport but people watch it during the Olympics. The emotional connect is with the Indian team winning a medal. But with the league, we need to go beyond this idea," he said.
"Indian movie viewers also go to theatres to watch Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun Maverick' because it is entertaining. We need to present the league in a similar fashion by using technological means to build anticipation with each and every shot.
"As soon as a player picks a gun, we can find ways using technology to showcase the athlete's mindset, and offer statistics to showcase the possibility of success with each type of shot. These means will help in engaging the audience," Pandit said.
The first edition of the Shooting League of India has been allocated a window by ISSF between November 20 and December 2. The tournament will take place at Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.
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