HRH Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, representative of His Majesty and President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee, was Chief Guest at the 56th National Shooting Championship in Hyderabad, India. The event was organized by the National Rifle Association of India. HRH also participated in one of the disciplines.
Talking to the media in Hyderabad, HRH said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be here and to take part in this shooting event. As President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee I personally feel that shooting has great potential in Bhutan. We feel that this will be the first stepping stone to a greater and longer relationship between the National Rifle Association of India and the Bhutan Shooting Federation. I hope that this sport becomes an important sport for Bhutan as well.”
Association President Raninder Singh added: “The two countries enjoy a very special relationship and the same spirit could be extended over the sport of shooting. “His Royal Highness’s participation has very effectively reinforced this event’s supremacy. It is not always that one is honoured to shoot in the next lane to an individual who is a constitutional institution and President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee.
“HRH’s simplicity and conduct as an athlete has inspired so many of us in India that he has, through his affectionate demeanour, won over the hearts and minds of countless Indian shooters.” During his five-day visit, HRH also met with Mr. Amit Sanghi, President of the Rifle Association of Andhra Pradesh; Mr. Anurag Sharma, Commissioner of the Hyderabad Police; Mr. Suresh Reddy, Former Speaker; Mr. Gautam Sawang, Deputy Inspector General of Hyderabad; Mr. Gagan Narayan, Olympic Medallist, and officials and members of the Indian shooting fraternity.
Mr. Raninder Singh pledged the full support of Indian shooting to promote the sport in Bhutan. He said: “We are thinking about having joint programmes where athletes from the two countries can practise together. We would also be very happy to send officials and coaches to help Bhutan prosper in the sport of shooting as we feel Bhutanese stand a chance of winning in this particular sport in the international arena. “We are also talking about setting up a shooting range in Bhutan as infrastructure is the most essential part.”
