AAI withdraws Indian archery team from World Cup Stage-2

The AAI had to take the hard step with international flights being uncertain amid the second wave of COVID-19 in India.

The Indians will now participate in the World Cup Stage-3, preceded by the final Olympic qualifying event, in Paris.

The Archery Association of India (AAI) has withdrawn the National team from the World Cup Stage-2 in Lausanne due to a visa issue and some other factors.

The second stage of the World Cup is scheduled to be held from May 17 to 23.

AAI secretary Pramod Chandurkar said the association pulled out the team after the Swiss Government denied short-term visas to the archers due to the present COVID-19 situation.

“We need short-term visas for the competition. They did not give us short-term visas, but offered long-term visas,” Chandurkar told Sportstar on Thursday.

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“Besides, the archers did not have enough practice as they quarantined following their return from the World Cup Stage-1 in Guatemala last month.”

It is understood that the uncertainty over international flights pushed the AAI towards the hard decision.

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Recently, the Indian archers had a harrowing time after they finished their World Cup Stage-1 campaign successfully, collecting three gold medals and a bronze. They had to wait for a day in Guatemala and spend about 23 hours in Paris to catch an India-bound flight.

The Indians will now participate in the World Cup Stage-3, preceded by the final Olympic qualifying event, in Paris. The final qualifying event will take place from June 19 to 21 followed by the third stage of the World Cup from June 22 to 27.

The qualifying event will give the Indian women recurve archers a chance to earn a team quota place in the Tokyo Olympics.

So far, the Indian men’s team has secured a quota place and Deepika Kumari has bagged an individual slot in the women’s section in the Olympics.