Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation History
2011: The Beginning
Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation was founded by Gagan Narang and Pawankumar Singh with the vision to Discover, inspire and transform lives by making Shooting as the number one sport in India
2012: Gagan Narang’s Olympic Glory
One of the best shooters in India, Gagan Narang, took home India’s first medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He won a historic bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle Men event.
2013: Collaboration with the Gujarat Government.
GNSPF and the Gujarat government collaborated to implement a state-wide talent identification initiative in 2013. The District Level School Sports program was implemented in large part through this relationship. With this program, GNSPF introduced shooting as a sport to a large number of young athletes, providing them with their first opportunity to participate in the activity.
2014: Growing All Over India
After achieving success in Gujarat, GNSPF expanded throughout India. The establishment of the first franchise in Jabalpur marked the start of GNSPF’s nationwide outreach. The organization expanded its scope to include talent spotting and shooting coaching across the nation, no longer being merely a regional endeavor.
2015: Conducting the Biggest Shooting Competition in India
When GNSPF hosted the biggest shooting competition in India in 2015, it accomplished a significant milestone. This tournament was a huge success, drawing in over 3200 participants and giving young shooters from all across the country a chance to show off their skills. The competition’s size proved GNSPF’s dedication to improving the sport at all levels.
2016: The Triumph of Rubina Francis
In 2016, the rewards of GNSPF’s talent discovery and training programs came to light when Rubina Francis, a young shooter recognized by the foundation, won the gold medal at the Para World Cup. Her triumph demonstrated the foundation’s ability to recognize and develop future champions while also giving India great pride.
2017: Empowering Excellence
Elavenil Valarivan’s Victory
Another champion in making merged in the next year. Elavenil Valarivan, who was identified through talent identification drives in Gujarat and was coached by Neha Chavan, won a gold medal at the 10m Air Rifle Women event at the national championship. Her success enhanced the GNSPF’s standing as the best place to train for the sport
Launch of Project Leap
Multi-phased project was launched in 2017, designed for the athletes to support them in improving their performance at the National & International level. High-Performance Foreign Coaches impart individualized training to help each athlete reach his/her true potential. The project supports the selected athletes to improve on various parameters of the sport, i.e., Technical, Physical & Mental aspects.
2018: Glory at International Stage
In 2018, GNSPF maintained their winning ways at the Junior ISSF World Championship. Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya, and Manini won the gold medal together in the team competition. This triumph demonstrated even more how GNSPF can create shooters of the highest caliber.
2019: Nationwide Recognition
2019 saw GNSPF get the esteemed “Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar” for identification and nurturing of budding talent. This prize, which represents the foundation’s commitment to promoting shooting sports and giving the next generation of athletes a platform, was the result of years of hard effort.
2020: Elavenil becomes world’s #1
2020 marked yet another historic milestone for GNSPF as one of its brightest lights, Elavenil Valarivan, achieved professional peak performance. She achieved the World No. 1 rank in the 10m Air Rifle Women event, marking a historic feat for both her and GNSPF.
2021: Olympic Milestones
Swaroop Unhalkar historic performance at Tokyo Paralympics
Para athlete Swaroop Unhalkar achieved a commendable fourth position in SH1 – 10m Air Rifle Men Standing event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic showcasing his remarkable talent and resilience.
Elavenil Valarivan at Tokyo Olympics
Elvaniel Valarivan took it to the highest stage; she represented India at the Tokyo Olympics in the 10m Air Rifle Women event.
Director, Pawankumar Singh’s marks history for Indian sports
Co-founder and Director Pawan Singh made a vital mark in Indian sports history by becoming the first and the only Indian to serve as a jury at Olympics in Tokyo in Shooting Sports.
2022:Year of Triumphs
Dhanaush Srikanth’s Glory at Deaflympics
Dhanaush Srikanth made history by winning two Gold medals at the 2021 Deaflympics at Rio de Janeiro in 10m Air Rifle Men and 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team events.
Rudranksh Patil historic achievement
Rudranksh Patil became the World Champion and broke the qualification world record and also secured the Paris Olympic Quota in the 10m Air Rifle Men event.
Elavenil Valarivan conferred with Arjuna award
Elavenil Valarivan received the prestigious Arjuna Award for her exceptional accomplishment in the shooting sport.
2023:Rising Stars
Mehuli Ghosh
Mehuli Ghosh won the bronze medal at the ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan and secured the Paris Olympic Quota in the 10m Air Rifle Women event.
Ramita Jindal
Ramita Jindal became the first individual medalist of the 19th Asian games in Hangzhou, she won a bronze medal in 10m Air Rifle Women event. She also won a team silver medal and was 4th in the mixed team event.
2024 : Voyage to Paris Olympics
Gagan Narang appointed as Chef de Mission
Gagan Narang was appointed as India’s Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic.
Elavenil and Ramita at Paris 2024 Olympic
Both Elavenil and Ramita competed in the 10m Air Rifle Women event at Paris. Ramita displayed great perseverance ,skills and qualified for the finals,but missed out on the medal.
Pawankumar Singh once again appointed as Jury Member
With the athletes representing India at the playing field, our Co-founder and Director Pawankumar Singh once again served as the jury member at the Olympics in Paris.
Swaroop Unhalkar at Paralympics
Swaroop Unhalkar represented India at the Paris Paralympics in the SH1 – 10m Air Rifle Men Standing event.
Coach Jeevan Rai at Paris
Foundation’s expert coach Jeevan Rai was appointed as a Rifle Coach of India’s Para Shooting team.
