Indian shooter Niraj Kumar was issued a yellow card during the final of the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires.
The incident raised eyebrows in the shooting community, especially with officials from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) defending the 25-year-old marksman, calling it a misunderstanding.
What happened?
After completing his final shot in the 50m rifle 3P final, Niraj was securing his rifle using a bore lock-a rubber pipe or sling inserted into the barrel as a safety measure to prevent accidental discharge. However, the competition jury interpreted this act as Niraj holding a live bullet, which is prohibited under ISSF rules during that phase of the competition.
As a result, he was shown a yellow card, which acts as an official warning in the sport.
What do the ISSF rules say?
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) rules provide clarity on such matters:
Rule 6.12.4 (Athlete Responsibility):
“The Athlete is responsible for reporting to the firing point, ready to shoot at the correct time, with equipment that complies with these rules.”
Rule 6.12.6 (Yellow Card):
“A yellow card must be issued in the case of an open violation of the rules as a warning.”
In Niraj’s case, the jury believed he had violated the rules by holding a bullet while securing his firearm. However, this was not the case, according to Indian officials.
What did the NRAI say?
NRAI Secretary Rajiv Bhatia expressed surprise at the decision and clarified the sequence of events.
“It indeed came as a surprise to us as to why the yellow card warning was issued to Niraj,” Bhatia told PTI on Saturday.
“I spoke to the rifle coach Manoj Kumar, and he said Niraj was not at fault. Niraj had already finished his final shot and saw his score on the screen-he was in seventh place. After that, he inserted the bore lock. But the jury thought he had a bullet in hand and penalized him,” he added.
Even though Niraj explained that it was a bore lock, the jury had already issued the yellow card by then.
Bhatia confirmed that no official protest would be filed because Niraj had finished seventh and was not in medal contention.