Indian archers' preparation for Worlds takes a hit

NEW DELHI: India's compound archers' preparation for the World Championships in the Netherlands has suffered a blow, as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has turned down the request to fund their acclimatisation-cum-training camp in Antalya, Turkey from May 27 to June 8.
The compound archers who are currently taking part in ongoing World Cup in Antalya, will now have to return after the third stage which will conclude on May 26.They will join their recurve teammates on June 9 in the Netherlands for the World Championships to be held from June 10-16. The recurve team will stay back in Turkey for the 13-day training camp post the World Cup.
The compound archers who would have benefitted immensely from the camp include Abhishek Verma, Jyothi Surekha, Bhagwan Das, Muskan Kirar, Rajat Chauhan and Raj Kaur. All are part of the country's World Championship-bound 12-member contingent which includes recurve archers Tarundeep Rai, Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, Bombayla Devi, Pravin Jadhav and Komalika Bari.
Archery Association of India (AAI) believes that an acclimatisation camp is must for both. "For recurve archers, it's the first qualifying event for Tokyo Olympics. However, medal chances are slim," said an AAI official.
"In the case of compound archers, there's no quota places on offer as we all know that compound archery isn't part of Olympics." SAI has a different take on the issue. "Since there's no qualification for the compound team, a conditioning camp will serve no purpose. But for the recurve, yes, it definitely will," a SAI official reacted.