Visa setback: Six Indian Archers to miss the Archery World Cup 2025

Six Indian archers, including the reigning world champion compound women's team, will miss the Archery World Cup Stage 1 scheduled from April 8 to 13 in Florida due to visa delays.

Despite desperate appeals on social media by the Archery Association of India (AAI), repeated emails to the US Embassy and World Archery, and requests made to the Sports Authority of India and the Government of India, the situation could not be resolved.

The archers waited patiently for their visa clearance until Monday evening, but all efforts proved unsuccessful.

As reported by The Bridge on April 2, six archers and three support staff — including world champion Aditi Gopichand Swami, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, and Chikitha Taniparthi (all compound women), Olympian Dhiraj Bommadevara (recurve men), Uday Kamboj (compound men), Anshika Kumari (recurve women), along with support staff Sonam Tshering Bhutia, Jiwanjot Singh Teja, and Snober Rupal — were awaiting word from the US Embassy.

“It’s confirmed that our compound women’s team will not be going. But it looks like there is no chance for others, too. The archers are very disappointed. There is a rule that teams have to take part in official practice sessions, failing which you cannot compete. And I don't think World Archery will tweak that rule and allow us to skip the official practice,” said a disappointed Gunjan Abrol, assistant secretary at AAI, speaking to The Bridge on Monday.

“The flight that landed in Florida at 11 was fully booked. We had booked another flight that reached at 12:45 PM. We had to cancel that too since the visa didn’t arrive,” he added.

This development means the archers will miss valuable international exposure in the season’s first tournament — a crucial platform to establish their form and consistency.

In addition, the frequent changes to travel plans have resulted in financial losses for the Sports Ministry, covering expenses such as boarding, lodging, and transport.

Meanwhile, a depleted Indian contingent of 10 archers — including Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, Abhishek Verma, and Jyothi Surekha Vennam — will begin their campaign in Florida starting Tuesday.

The Archery World Cup, the sport’s premier annual international circuit, comprises four stages: Central Florida (USA), Shanghai (China), Antalya (Türkiye), and Madrid (Spain), running from April to July. The Grand Final will be held in Nanjing, China, in October.