India will host the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in 2027, a key Olympic qualifying event that will offer eight quota places for the LA 2028 Games, the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) confirmed on Monday. The competition will be held from December 1 to 10 at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.
“The Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2027 will be organised by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) from 01 to 10 December 2027 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in New Delhi, India,” the ASC said in a release.
“The championship will hold added significance as eight Asian continental quota places for the LA Olympic Games 2028 will be distributed during the event.”
The quotas will be allocated to National Olympic Committees (NOCs), except those obtained through the Olympic Ranking or universality places, which are awarded to athletes by name.
For India, the 2027 event could prove crucial as the country begins shaping its campaign for Los Angeles 2028. Hosting an Olympic qualifying tournament at home not only provides familiarity with conditions but also offers key advantages such as crowd support, reduced travel fatigue and logistical comfort, factors that can make the difference in high-pressure qualification events.
India had enjoyed a strong qualification cycle ahead of Paris 2024, securing the maximum possible 16 Olympic quotas, eight each in rifle and pistol, in shooting qualifying events. The contingent size also underlined the growth of the sport in the country, with India sending a record 21 shooters to the Paris Olympics, a significant rise from the 15 who competed in Tokyo.
However, despite winning three medals in Paris, all bronze, shooting remains “unfinished business” for India. The 2027 Asian Championship, with Olympic quotas on the line, will be seen as a major opportunity to strengthen the pipeline and build momentum towards improving the colour of those medals in LA.
The hosting rights also reinforce the growing importance of the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range as a consistent global venue, strengthening India’s shooting ecosystem and long-term high-performance setup.
Meanwhile, India are already eyeing home success with New Delhi set to host the Asian Shooting Championship (Rifle/Pistol) from February 2 to 14. The hosts have assembled the largest contingent with 118 athletes, over a third of the total 311 shooters entered for the competition.
Kazakhstan is the second-largest contingent with 35 athletes, while Iran has registered 28. Regional powerhouses Korea, Iran and Japan have also fielded strong squads, with Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and Hong Kong expected to produce competitive performances.
In total, the championship will feature athletes from 20 countries, with 564 starts across the competition.