TN eyes Olympic podium with Trap-Skeet shooting academy

CHENNAI: With an eye on the 2032 and 2036 Olympics, Tamil Nadu is all set to establish its first international standard six-station trap range and a Trap and Skeet Shooting Academy in Vandalur about 30km south of Chennai on about 18 hectares of land at a cost of `17 crore. The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has floated a tender calling contractors to establish this facility which will consist of Trap houses, High and Low houses, shooting platforms and related infrastructure. SDAT took technical inputs from national coach Vikram Chopra to come up with this proposal, member secretary J Meghanatha Reddy IAS said. Trap and skeet shooting is an Olympic sport where competitors aim at moving targets called clay pigeons using a shotgun. Though the sport is at a nascent stage in India and Tamil Nadu, its popularity is on the rise with prominent champions from the state including Prithviraj Tondaiman the first Olympic shooter from south India and SM Yugan, Nilaa Rajaa Baalu, and Anthra Rajasekar at the junior international level. According to Reddy and Tondaiman, the creation of this international-standard facility aims to kill multiple birds with one stone. It will help develop an ecosystem for the sport and make it more accessible, given that the lack of ranges remains a major hurdle for enthusiasts. The SDAT shooting range is being planned to create Olympic and Asian Games champions in the near future, Reddy said. Currently, Tamil Nadu has only two or three practice ranges, including one privately established by Tondaimans family near Tiruchy. The new government facility is expected to bridge this gap significantly. The proposed range will also provide organisers with a venue to host national and international tournaments and training camps. At present, the only international-standard range in India is in New Delhi, and when it is unavailable, events are shifted to places like Bhatinda. With hundreds of shooters participating, the lack of international-standard ranges prolongs tournaments to more than a month, Tondaiman said. Given its proximity to Chennai, the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road, the Vandalur facility will also offer multiple accommodation and hospitality options for visiting shooters. Tondaiman told TNIE that the establishment of a similar academy in Madhya Pradesh a few years ago had transformed the sport in that state. The majority of shooters in the Indian team currently are from MP, he said, expressing hope that the Vandalur academy would have a similar impact on Tamil Nadus shooting prospects. Hit bullseye at vandalur Location: Vandalur, about 30 km south of Chennai Project Cost: Rs 17crore Area: 18 hectares Executing Agency: Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT)