📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Daieuxetdailleurs
Sports
Grassroots Surge Boosts Indian Archery as National Team Trials Tighten
✍️ India Today
🗓 01 Oct 2026, 03:38 PM
👁 15
India's archery scene is expanding at the grassroots level, prompting the national federation to make team selection trials more competitive.
The Indian archery ecosystem is witnessing a noticeable rise in participation from schools, clubs and regional academies across the country. Recent surveys by the Archery Association of India show a steady increase in registered shooters, especially in tier‑2 and tier‑3 towns, where new facilities and coaching programs have been introduced.
In response to the expanding talent pool, the federation announced that the upcoming national team trials will feature stricter qualifying standards and a larger pool of contenders. Athletes will now need to meet higher score thresholds in both indoor and outdoor formats to earn a place in the senior squad.
Officials say the tougher trials aim to raise the overall performance level ahead of major international events such as the Asian Games and World Championships. They also hope the heightened competition will motivate younger archers to pursue the sport more seriously and attract additional sponsorship.
Coaches at the grassroots level have welcomed the move, noting that it provides clear benchmarks for aspiring shooters. Training camps are being organized in collaboration with state sports departments to ensure that promising talent receives the technical guidance required to meet the new criteria.
The shift reflects a broader strategy to transform India from a peripheral participant to a consistent medal contender in global archery, leveraging the growing base of athletes emerging from the country's villages and small towns.
In response to the expanding talent pool, the federation announced that the upcoming national team trials will feature stricter qualifying standards and a larger pool of contenders. Athletes will now need to meet higher score thresholds in both indoor and outdoor formats to earn a place in the senior squad.
Officials say the tougher trials aim to raise the overall performance level ahead of major international events such as the Asian Games and World Championships. They also hope the heightened competition will motivate younger archers to pursue the sport more seriously and attract additional sponsorship.
Coaches at the grassroots level have welcomed the move, noting that it provides clear benchmarks for aspiring shooters. Training camps are being organized in collaboration with state sports departments to ensure that promising talent receives the technical guidance required to meet the new criteria.
The shift reflects a broader strategy to transform India from a peripheral participant to a consistent medal contender in global archery, leveraging the growing base of athletes emerging from the country's villages and small towns.