Representational photo.
Archery Association of India (AAI) has called for 2021 Tokyo Olympic selection trials for eight spots (four recurve men and women archers each) in Jamshedpur from November 23 to 27.
The trials will be held at the JRD Tata Sports Complex while 58 archers (including 18 women archers) are asked to report at a hotel nearby the venue on November 23 where they will be provided with a room each.
The AAI in its letter to the archers has specified that athletes who have performed a score of 650-above for men’s and 630-above for women’s at the past three selection trials over 2019-2020 are eligible to participate in Jamshedpur.
All the archers and technical officials have been instructed to undergo COVID-19 RT-PCR test not more than 48 hours before arriving at the Ginger Hotel along with the negative Coronavirus report.
AAI has also stated that selected archers and officials will also be provided with the boarding and lodging facilities. Accompanying coaches have been asked to make arrangements of their own.
Also, those who will make the cut at the trials in Jamshedpur will be asked to join the ongoing elite archers training camp in Army Sports Institute in Pune immediately.
However, this is where thing turns tricky as two of the members in the camp tested positive recently. A physio and archer Himani Malik have confirmed to be tested positive recently. The 16-member core group, including the likes of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, are training at the camp since September and are exempted from participating in the Jamshedpur trials.
The news has prompted AAI to take a stern stance for the trials as a strict COVID-19 standard operating procedure has also been sent to the archers. This includes archers not allowing archers to go out of the hotel except for the trials while regular temperature check is mandatory at the venue.
Archers have also been directed to wear a mask at all times except for when at the JRD Tata Complex while maintaining two-metre distance from each other. Archers have also been asked to carry their own equipment while strictly prohibiting sharing them.
