Ennio Falco, India's skeet coach, is currently back home in Italy. Having witnessed the worst of COVID-19 pandemic, he is looking forward to the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, including some sort of return to sporting activity this week.
For Italians, it has been a long two months. Italy witnessed the third highest number of cases in the world and has recorded 29,000 deaths due to COVID-19. With fall in number of cases, Italy saw restaurants, parks and public transports being re-opened and nearly 4.5 million people returning to work.
Falco, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics champion in skeet, returned home to Capua, in south Italy, in late February from India. He was asked to return home by the army, which employs him, for a mandatory COVID-19 test.
Speaking to THE WEEK over phone from his base in Capua, a relieved Falco said, "Everything is okay here. I live in south Italy. The virus was a big problem in north Italy."
His posting is near Naples, 1000km from Milan - one of the hotspots of the virus in Italy. "It was still okay for me. I would go to office but my wife and daughter were in a total lockdown for the last two months. We hope things will be better in the next two weeks.
"Our government has allowed us to visit our family, old parents. We have to wait and see how things work out over the next 14 days. I am with the army and i have to undergo a COVID-19 test every week," Falco said.
With the Italian government easing restrictions, restaurants have opened only for takeaways. Bars, salons, schools and colleges remain shut.
Falco is looking forward to next Monday, though - the day, shooting ranges for elite shooters only will be reopened. For a legendary shooter who has won 10 medals at ISSF World Championships, 10 European titles, 25 World Cup medals in his career, getting back on the range will be a massive step. "Government has allowed some physical activity like jogging. Top shooters will also resume shooting at the ranges from Monday," said the 52-year-old Falco.
The Italian is entrusted with turning around the fortunes of the Indian skeet team. For years, skeet has been Indian shooting's weakest link. But, things started turning around a few years ago - to the extent that even as India's other shotgun specialists struggle, two skeet shooters - Angad Bajwa and Mairaj Ahmed Khan - both have clinched quotas for Tokyo Olympics among the 15 won by India so far.
Falco is in regular touch with the Indian skeet shooting team members and shares weekly updates with them from his home. With Indian government also extending its 50-day lockdown, sporting activity is yet to resume. The IOA has requested the Union Sports Ministry and SAI to allow elite athletes at least to resume their training now. However, India is also currently witnessing a spike in cases and casualties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Skeet shooters are presently training at their houses and, as per Falco, it would be great if the national skeet team, especially the Tokyo-bound shooters, could travel to his base in south Italy once the travel restrictions are lifted. The Indian government has suspended all air travel until further notice and it appears unlikely to resume any time soon. "If I had my (Indian) shooters with me here at my base, I would be more relaxed. Every week, I speak to them about what we can do at home. Every top shooter has a machine at home, so there is no issue."
On Olympics being postponed by a year, Falco sees it as an opportunity for the Indian skeet shooters to improve further. "We have one young shooter in Angad and an older one in Mairaj for Tokyo. I see this as a chance to train properly as a team for one more year. We have to take it in a positive way," said the skeet coach.
