THE 68TH NATIONAL SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITIONS (NSCC) commenced at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, marking the start of a new season for Indian shooting. This year sees a record participation of more than 16,000 qualified shooters across rifle, pistol and shotgun events. Group 5 Trap qualifiers in the Shotgun discipline were the first to begin proceedings.
Last year’s 67th NSCC had 13,522 qualified shooters, highlighting the significant growth in participation. All leading Indian shooters have entered the competition, and the month-long schedule has been designed to accommodate the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha from 4–9 December, where 15 Indian athletes are set to compete.
While Shotgun and Pistol events will take place at the Karni Singh Ranges, Rifle events will be held at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal. Pistol competitions will run from 11 December to 4 January 2026, and Rifle events will take place from 11 December to 2 January 2026. The Shotgun nationals will span the entire month of December and conclude on 5 January 2026.
The championships will be contested across seven categories: Super Masters (70+), Senior Masters (60–70), Masters (45–60), Seniors (Open), Juniors (21 and under), Youth (19 and under), and Sub-Youth (16 and under) across all three disciplines. Regardless of category, each athlete may shoot only once, with their score applied to all relevant categories they are registered in. Dedicated events for Para-athletes and Deaf athletes will also be held as part of the competition.
