Bindra left out as he was getting support from others: NRAI

New Delhi: The national shooting body today said Abhinav Bindra was purposefully not included among the

marksmen who would be sponsored by Sahara India Pariwar for their 2012 Olympics preparations as the Beijing gold was getting support from other quarters. National Rifles Association of India General Secretary Baljit Shethi denied that Bindra was omitted due to conflict of interest among his current sponsors. "The selection of shooters was based on recommendation from NRAI where Abhinav Bindra was not considered purposely for two reasons. Firstly, his expectation was too high and secondly he was enjoying support from other quarters," Sethi said in a statement. "NRAI desired to share the sponsorship money among the maximum number of shooters without any disparity. This being the first such offer in the history of the game, NRAI for obvious reason did not want to miss this unique opportunity and kind gesture from Sahara," he added. Sahara today announced the sponsorship of 15 shooters, including Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Gagan Narang, Samresh Jung and Ranjon Sodhi, for their preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. Bureau Report