Shooting powerhouses China and Japan are among a host of countries skipping the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, scheduled from March 18-29. Some of the countries which have not sent in their entries for the tournament include the likes of China, Japan, Germany, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait and Malaysia, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said in a release on Tuesday. A total of 42 countries have so far confirmed their entries for the International Shooting Sport Federation combined World Cup for rifle, pistol and shotgun. 

Prominent among the countries competing are Korea, Singapore, USA, United Kingdom, Iran, Ukraine, France, Hungary, Italy, Thailand and Turkey. 

“China and Japan are not sending their athletes outside their countries before the Olympics, that’s what we have heard,” a federation source said. 

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The New Delhi-based tournament will see as many as 30 finals being held at an ISSF World Cup stage for the first time, with the new team formats approved by the global body last year. 

The NRAI on Tuesday announced the team for the tournament. On Monday, the federation said the Indian team will not be taking part in the World Cup in Changwon, Korea in April due to a strict 14-day quarantine, which would have come in the way of their training ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.