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Asian Games

Archery has been in the same position for years. So what is stopping the sport from moving forward?

Archery has been in the same position for years. So what is stopping the sport from moving forward?
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By

Akshat Mehrish

Published: 25 Aug 2018 3:29 PM GMT
The first seven days of the Asian Games brought several memorable moments for India. There were plenty of medals won and plenty of opponents conquered over the first week. There were some surprises, as well, over the first week. Sports which usually go under the radar did brilliantly for India, questioning the lack of attention towards them. Wushu, Sepaktakraw, and Rowing amongst them. Wushu won India four Bronze medals while Rowing won Two Bronze and a Gold. Sepaktakraw also saw India win one medal. Some of the more popular sports did well too. Shooting and Wrestling, both brought medals, while Tennis and Squash did the same. However, one sport that disappointed yet again was Archery.

The Plight of Recurve Archery

The Archery contingent's disastrous performance in Indonesia can hurt the sport for years to come. The fact that not a single Indian entry in the Recurve category could progress farther than the quarterfinal rounds is troublesome. Recurve Archery features some of India's best archers, including Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari. Both of those failed to reach the semifinals. While Das was the best individual archer for India as he reached the quarters, Kumari exited the competition early. However, her loss can be blamed on the fact that she was suffering from Dengue before the competition. Nevertheless, the Recurve team as a whole put in a disappointing display. All the three teams- Men's, Women's, and Mixed- were, once again, knocked out in the early stages. If we take a look at this loss from a broader perspective, we can understand why this is a problematic situation for India. The Olympic Games are set to take place two years from now, and as things stand, Recurve Archery is the only form of the sport they recognize. With many sports finally moving in the right direction in India, Archery is the one going backwards.

What's the Problem?

So what went wrong in Archery? A couple of things actually. The whole sport has been disrupted by behind-the-scenes chaos, that has transpired over the last few months. To begin with, there was a lack of ample funds for the Archers to go and train in foreign conditions. This was because the Federation had been derecognised back in 2012. No sponsor was willing to come forward, as well. To correct that, the Archery Association of India was directed towards making a few amendments to their constitution, which had some discrepancies when compared to MYAS's National Sports Development Code. The Federation was further directed to hold fresh elections after the amendment was made. As a result, the focus was shifted to complying with, what was a Supreme Court order. Moreover, the training camp of the Recurve Archers was shifter from Jamshedpur to Pune by the Sports Authority of India. This was done to keep the indiscipline in check.

What Next?

There is a surge going around India, which has seen many sports turn around for the better.  To that effect, there is still hope that Archery resolves all its behind-the-scenes situations and finally moves in the right direction. However, as it stands, the Indian Recurve Archery team is heading out of the competition after yet another disappointing competition.
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