In a latest controversy to hit Indian archery, governing body AAI has picked ‘wrong coaches’ to accompany the team to the World Cup Stage II in Shanghai from May 6 to 12.
The AAI had named dope-tainted compound women’s archer Anita Kumari in the team. She had returned a positive result for propanolol beta blocker for her urine sample collected during the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune in January.
Anita had made the side from the selection trials held in Bhubaneswar last month but now AAI is all set to drop the archer.
With no permanent coach in archery, AAI follows the norm to send personal coaches of the players selected for the tournament. But this time, selection of Ved Kumar and Kailash in the recurve and compound women’s sections has raised eyebrows.
Kailash and Kumar were active archers who competed at the National Open selection trials for World Championship and World Cup in Rohtak from January 24 to 30.
“They failed to find a berth in the squad so now from back door they are entering the team as coaches. They have no coaching experience. This will shortly result in death of the Olympic discipline recurve archery which is already in a state of decline,” said a former archer.
Compound women archer Monali Jadhav’s coach Chandrakant Ilag has also shot off a letter to SAI director general, highlighting the discrepancy.
“As per my knowledge, coach of the archer who has been ranked first in the trials should accompany the team. If anything goes wrong in the World Cup who will be responsible. Our archers have no faith in Kumar and Kailash,” he stated in the letter sent to DG SAI on Monday.
In another glitch, AAI is yet to pick the para squad for the upcoming World Championship in the Netherlands in June which will offer quota places for the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.
“A minimum of a 30-day camp is needed before any major international meet but the team is yet to be picked,” the former archer said.
AAI president BVP Rao was not available for a comment.
AAI is sending a B team to the World Cup stage II. The A team was picked for the stage one in Medellin in Colombia but it failed to participate due to delay in flight that would have resulted in missing its connecting flight from Amsterdam.
AAI drew criticism for “poor planning” as the archers will be short on exposure ahead of the much-important World Championship in the Netherlands.
To make up the loss, AAI is likely to send the team to the Netherlands 10 days in advance.
Squads
Recurve: Men: Jagdish Chaudhary, Vakil Raj Dindor, Sukhchain Singh and Chaman Singh; Women: Preeti, Sakshi Shitole, Promila Daimary and Ankita Bhakat.
Compound: Men: Sangampreet Singh Bisla, Praveen Kumar, Gurwinder Singh and Lovejot Singh; Women: Monali Jadhav, Praveena, Priya Gurjar and Anita Kumari.
Coaches/Support Staff: Recurve Men: Sumesh Chandra Roy, Jay Singh Yadav (physio); Recurve Women: Ved Kumar
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