AAI to conduct online programmes for archers and coaches

The Archery Association of India (AAI) is set to start online programmes to reach out to the coaches and players with the country under lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A member of France's 1992 Olympic gold-winning team Pascal Colmaire, who is the World Archery development and education director, is in the list of 17 experts who will impart online lessons from Thursday. "When you are in lockdown and not doing anything it's better to do some online training. We have prepared an online training module for our archers. Something is better than nothing," Archery Association of India president Arjun Munda told PTI. Colmaire will deliver upon 'Expansion' -- the name World Archery use for the action to get the click or trigger, while the list includes national coaches Sanjeeva Singh and Purnima Mahato among others. There will also be coach development programme and sports science lectures on physiology, biochemistry, strength-conditioning, nutrition and doping among others till May 12.

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"It will help in the academic side of the archers. We have to see whether they can make some rectification through online training. At least you will get some tips. What else can you do in this situation." The Indian archers are back at their respective bases barring the trainees from Army who are in lockdown at the camp in Pune, which is one of the COVID-19 hotspots. Keeping this in mind, the AAI is "discussing" to shift the recurve national camp from Army Sports Institute there to Jamshedpur. The three-time former Jharkhand Chief Minister Munda said their priority is safety of its players and once the lockdown is over they would take a call. "Nothing has been decided as yet. We have archery facility in Pune and Jamshedpur also. They can train anywhere. It's under discussion. We will take a call after assessing situation till then I cannot comment anything on it," Munda said. "First, we have to come out of lockdown. We don't want to do something to bring coronavirus. Let this pandemic eases we will take a call. Till then I cannot comment on this. Jamshedpur has a practice facility. But it's difficult to say in lockdown period."

Pune has been the venue for recurve national camp since Rio Olympics 2016 with 16 archers in men's and women's sections slated for Olympic trials on March 24 and 25 before it was suspended ahead of the Janata Curfew on March 22. All, barring the Army-based archers returned to their respective hometowns, and the fate of the national camp will be known after normalcy is restored. The ASI, Pune boasts of a world-class facility for archers including an electronic scoreboard, a podium and it remains to be seen if top archers including Army man Tarundeep Rai, and Indian number one duo of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das will consider a change in venue. "We have to keep in mind the players' and coaches' comfort. It's has to be alright for them. Mind clarity is also needed. Practice won't be of any help if there's no comfort," he said.

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