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Two foreign coaches of the Indian shotgun team Marcello Dradi and Ennio Falco from Italy are unlikely to travel with the team for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. Due to contractual and accreditation technicalities, the coaches won’t accompany the Indian contingent to the forthcoming continental event. Notably, trap coach Dradi and skeet coach Falco were appointed as India’s coaches after the former coaches quit.
India’s shotgun team was earlier coached by Australia's Russell and Lauryn Mark, followed by their fallout with the National Rifle Association of India's (NRAI). According to the reports by PTI, Dradi will miss out the tournament as he signed the contract with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) after the names of participants and coaches for the event were already decided by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC).
As per the PTI, the NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia said that instead of them, the Indian trap coach Vikram Chopra will accompany India’s trap squad, while Jitender Beniwal will be with the skeet contingent. Bhatia said, "Their (foreign coaches) contracts were signed after the long list of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had been finalised and sent to the Asian Games organisers (HAGOC). That is the reason they will likely miss out."
He added, "We have sent all the documentation to them (IOA)...the recommendation has gone (to the IOA) that their names should be included with the contingent. The proposal has gone but I cannot say with surety what will happen.” The NRAI official confirmed that both of them will be with the team during the Asian Championship camp.
