PANAJI: The 42nd NTPC Junior National Archery Championship has moved into its final leg with the two-day Indian round men and women’s action beginning at SAG ground, Campal here on Thursday.
The North Eastern states hold sway over their rivals in the competition, with Manipur regarded as the strongest team on show. The other notable teams among the Indian archery powerhouses to watch, will be Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra; and Kerala down in South India, among others. Hosts Goa are also taking part with the upcoming archers gaining the much-needed exposure.
The team event comprises shooting 12 rounds of three arrows each in the 40 metres and 30 metres distance in the qualification stage before the elimination rounds begin. In all, 115 men and 99 women entered the field from across 33 state and union territories.
While Recurve and Compound category equipments are made up with the help of advanced technologies abroad with the sport proving expensive for most of the archery enthusiasts in the country, the Indian round requirements are quite basic.
Bow and arrows are made up of bamboo and entire equipment is manufactured in India, mostly in Manipur and Assam. Thus, for beginners taking to archery in India, these traditional wooden equipments are the first choice at the grassroots level in the country. Moreover, the archers can also dream of representing India at the Olympics in future with a smooth transition to the Recurve round as the technique used in the Indian round is same for the Recurve round, which is the international competition category.
