World Archery delegation to visit India

The delegation will meet the newly-elected office bearers of the Archery Association of India, and the officials of the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Ministry.

Representative Image: The Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association are yet to recognise the Archery Association of India.

A delegation from World Archery — led by secretary general Tom Dielen — will visit India next week to assess the future of Indian archery.

The delegation will visit New Delhi on February 25 and February 26, 2019. They will meet the newly-elected office bearers of the Archery Association of India (AAI), and the officials of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Sports Ministry.

According to a source in the AAI, Dielen will be visiting India after a request to this effect was made by the newly-elected AAI president B. V. P. Rao. “During their visit they hold a host of meetings with different parties and try to sort [out] problems for the future of Indian archery,” an AAI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

Read | Archery fails to get recognition from ministry in annual renewal

Rao was elected president of AAI on December 22, 2018, in the elections held under the supervision of S. Y. Quraishi, the Delhi High Court-appointed administrator and former Chief Election Commissioner of India. The elections were initially not recognised by World Archery on the ground that the constitution used was never formally approved by the General Assembly of the AAI. The world body also hinted at a possible suspension of the AAI.

Final decision yet to be taken

Later, after Rao himself visited the World Archery headquarters in Lausanne, where he presented the minutes of the elective general assembly, the international body said the AAI was a recognised member. However, a final decision on the matter is yet to be taken.

“Further information related to the general assembly has now been requested and, when provided, the complete documentation will undergo assessment before a recommendation is presented to the World Archery executive board,” the international body had said on January 21.

The Sports Ministry and the IOA are yet to recognise the AAI elections. They have objected to certain clauses in the amended constitution submitted by Quraishi to the High Court. Their objections were that the amended constitution, in parts, did not conform to the National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI), 2011.

The Sports Ministry has not included AAI among recognised national federations in its annual renewal.