The para-inclusive facility brings shooting ranges, sports science, coaching, recovery and residential support together for India’s elite and emerging shooters.
MUMBAI (India CSR): Axis Bank and Lakshya Shooting Club have inaugurated the Axis Bank Lakshya Shooting Club High Performance Centre at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, creating a dedicated training and athlete-support facility for Indian shooters. The six-storey centre has been designed as a para-inclusive hub that combines specialised coaching, sports science, nutrition, medicine and athlete-development support under one roof. The initiative is intended to identify and nurture shooting talent while providing elite athletes with a platform to prepare for international competitions, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Axis Bank said the partnership reflects its commitment to expanding access to high-quality sporting infrastructure and technical support. The centre will focus primarily on shooters preparing for global competition, while Lakshya Shooting Club’s wider network will continue to develop emerging athletes through its existing centres.
Integrated Training Ecosystem
The High Performance Centre includes two dedicated 10-metre shooting ranges, along with strength and conditioning facilities, biomechanics assessment, physiotherapy, sports psychology, nutrition support and recovery spaces. Residential facilities have also been incorporated to support athletes requiring an intensive, structured training environment. The model brings together the technical, physical and psychological elements of elite sporting performance. Rather than treating coaching, fitness, recovery and mental well-being as separate services, the centre seeks to provide individualised support based on an athlete’s needs and stage of development. The institution has outlined three pathways: Elite Residency, Day Scholar and Development programmes. This structure is intended to give athletes different routes into high-performance training, from early-stage development to sustained preparation for international events. The centre will work to strengthen the consistency of preparation required at the highest levels of competitive shooting.
Two Decades of Experience
Lakshya Shooting Club was established in 2006 by Indian Olympian and former national shooting coach Suma Shirur. Over two decades, the club has worked to scout, train and support shooters who have competed at national and international levels. Its athletes have participated in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Among its notable athletes is Avani Lekhara, a three-time Paralympic medallist who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. The club has also supported Parth Mane, Junior World Champion in 2024 and team silver medallist at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. The new facility builds on this experience by seeking to establish a more comprehensive ecosystem for athlete development. Its focus on accessibility is also significant, with the centre designed to be completely para-inclusive for athletes training across shooting disciplines.
Partnership Supports Athletes
Vijay Mulbagal, Group Head – Wholesale Bank Coverage, Corporate Salary, Sustainability & CSR, Axis Bank, said shooting has been one of India’s most successful Olympic sports and a source of national pride. “While our shooters are already making their mark globally, the potential to achieve even greater success is tremendous,” he said. Mulbagal said the Bank’s partnership with Lakshya Shooting Club is intended to provide aspiring and elite athletes with access to world-class infrastructure, coaching and technical support. “Our ambition is to help create an environment where talent can thrive, champions can be nurtured, and India’s shooting excellence can continue to scale new heights,” he said. He added that Axis Bank hoped the centre would contribute meaningfully to India’s sporting success for years to come. The partnership places athlete support, specialised training and long-term sporting development at the centre of the initiative.
Ecosystem Behind Excellence
Shirur said the facility represented the next stage in Lakshya Shooting Club’s journey. “When we started Lakshya in 2006, we had a simple dream: to give shooters the opportunities, guidance and support they needed to realise their potential,” she said. She noted that the achievements of athletes who have won Paralympic gold medals and world titles had reinforced the importance of providing talent with the right ecosystem. “This Centre is the next chapter of that journey,” Shirur said. “It is about creating an environment where our best athletes can prepare to take on the world, where every aspect of their performance is supported, and where the dream of an Olympic medal feels within reach.” She thanked Axis Bank for supporting the vision. Her remarks underline the role of sustained coaching, scientific assessment and athlete care in helping shooters manage the technical and mental demands of high-level competition.
Sustainability Meets Sport
The High Performance Centre is a green-certified building built to high sustainability standards, with an emphasis on energy and resource efficiency. The addition of environmental considerations to a sports infrastructure project reflects the growing relevance of sustainable design in institutions that require year-round operations, training spaces and residential facilities. For Indian shooting, the centre creates a consolidated platform that brings coaching, fitness, rehabilitation, nutrition and mental-performance support closer together. It also signals a longer-term approach to athlete development, one that seeks to build capacity beyond individual tournaments or medal cycles. As India works to strengthen its presence in Olympic and Paralympic sport, facilities that combine accessible infrastructure with sustained technical support can play an important role. The Axis Bank Lakshya Shooting Club High Performance Centre now joins the country’s wider sporting ecosystem with the objective of helping Indian shooters prepare for global competition.
