Double trap world record holder Ronjan Sodhi will watch the Beijing Games from the stands after his hardship quota appeal was denied by the international body in a meeting Wednesday.The National Rifle Association of India had been pitching for the shooter after a string of excellent performances in the last 18 months. NRAI secretary Baljeet Singh Sethi expressed his helplessness: “Since no country had surrendered the quota given to them, the international body had nothing to offer us.” Athens silver medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will be the only shooter in the double trap event to represent the country in Beijing.Qualifying for the London Olympics will begin in 2009.‘It’s a conspiracy’Having been dumped by the Sports Ministry as the weightlifting coach for the Beijing Olympics, a disappointed Deodutt Sharma today said it was a “conspiracy” against him.Sharma, the Indian Weightlifting Federation’s choice, is unlikely to travel to Beijing after a ministry directive to select Anita Chanu instead of him though he said he has not received an official communication in this regard.“I’m a victim of politics. There’s a section of people who are jealous of my success. This is a conspiracy against me — it’s called politics,” said Sharma, who is at the national camp in SAI, Bangalore.
