To check indiscipline, SAI shifts archery nat’l camp to Pune

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has moved the national camp for archery from Jamshedpur to the Army Sports Institute in Pune.

In fact, the recurve archers who participated in the World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, were sent to Pune right after their return. However, the compound archers will continue to train at SAI’s training facility in Sonepat.

Sources close to the development confirmed that the change was necessitated because a few of the archers were irregular in the camp. “It was done primarily because of indiscipline,” a source said.

No chief coach

Furthermore, the Archery Association of India (AAI) has been asked to name a chief coach of the team. AAI has not appointed a chief coach after Limba Ram, who was sacked after the 2012 London Olympics.

The appointment of a chief coach is also needed because the coaching staff was apparently reluctant to take action against the erring campers as they felt powerless against some of the stars.

It has also been learnt that one of the suggestions made to keep a check on the absentees from the camp was to install a biometric system. This suggestion was made during the Annual Calendar for Training & Competition meeting between AAI and SAI.

Before the camp was shifted, SAI officials had been asking for the attendance record of the campers. And, invariably, it was being sent at the last moment. The attendance record of the compound archers training in Sonepat was sent to AAI after the team had flown to participate in the May 20-26 World Cup in Antalya.

In another instance, an official was sent to Sonepat to check on the campers and was surprised to see that there were no trainees on the ground. Besides, the coach present at the venue failed to furnish the training plan for the day. While the compound team won two medals at the recently-concluded World Cup, the recurve team returned empty-handed.

The camp in Pune, which began on Sunday, has been sanctioned till the Asian Games, to be held in Jakarta-Palembang from August 18.

The selection trials for both the compound and recurve teams for the Asian Games and the World Cup Stage 4 will also be held in Pune on June 16-17.