New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) As the shooters get ready to fire the first shots at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun beginning August 18 and running up to August 29 at Shymkent, Kazakhstan, all eyes will be on India and China as the two neighbours battle it out for supremacy.

India had finished second behind China in the previous Asian Championship in Changwon with a total of 59 medals (21 gold, 22 silver, and 16 bronze), while in the 14th Asian Championship in Doha, India had returned a fourth-place finish. China topped the tally in Changwon with 78 medals (35 gold, 20 silver, 23 bronze).

Having picked their largest-ever contingent, India will be hoping to upstage the Continental superpower China to come up with their best-ever performance in the Asian Shooting Championships, which made its debut in 1967 with the first edition in Tokyo, Japan.

Competitions will be held across individual, team, and mixed team formats in all three disciplines and categories, with different entry codes for each category.

A total of 182 Indian shooters, the championship’s largest contingent, will compete in a total of 58 medal events, including 46 individual events and 12 mixed team events across categories and disciplines. Depending on the number of entries in each event, Indian shooters will also be in line for the team medals in all 46 individual events.

While most of the contingent will be competing in Olympic events, many will also vie for glory in non-Olympic events like Centre-Fire, Standard and Free Pistol, Prone in Rifle, and Double-Trap in the Shotgun discipline.

The Asian championship has long been a fight for continental supremacy, with China being the one to beat. India have caught up over the years as they have at a global level, and the fight for the top spot on the medal tally is likely to be between the two.

Hosts Kazakhstan have the second largest contingent after India with 111 entries, while Korea (70), China (41), Iran (29), Chinese Taipei (24), and Vietnam (20) have also fielded strong sides. Tough competition is also expected from the shooters from the Middle East, particularly in the Shotgun discipline.

The entry code:

Seniors (Individual): Five athletes per National Olympic Committee (NOC), three to be registered to compete for medals

Juniors (Individual): Six athletes per NOC, top three qualification ranks to enter final and compete for medals (two athletes to be <=18 yrs till Dec 31, 2025)

Youth (Individual): Entries to be managed by Organizing Committee (athletes to be <=18 years till Dec 31, 2025)

Mixed Team: Two teams per event, only one highest ranked in qualification to compete for medals, two bronze medals to be awarded post two bronze medal matches (Rank 3 v Rank 5 & Rank 4 v Rank 6)

Team: One team of three members per event, three individual results to add up for medals.

–IANS

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