Archery Association of India

Established on 8 August 1973, the Archery Association of India (AAI) is the central body for the promotion and management of the sport of archery in India. It aims at promoting the ancient game of the country, by giving proper training to the Indian archers and by ensuring that the available existing infrastructure for the game has been utilized in the right way. Apart from promoting the sports in the country, the AAI has been spearheading efforts to popularize the game in the Asian region. Moreover, it is one of the founder members of the Asian Archery Association. During the year of its establishment, the AAI organized its first National Meet under FITA rules in New Delhi, in which more than 50 archers participated. India organized its first Asian meet in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1980.

Archery in India gained pace, over the passing years. In the mid 1980s, most of the archers started using modern sophisticated equipment for the sport. Consequently, archery started featuring in International competitions. Soon, it was noticed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). This gave rise to further improvement in the game. A number of talented and promising archers emerged in India, predominantly from the rural belt of the country. Archers like Smt Krishna Ghatak, Limba Ram, Shyam Lal, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Lalrem Sanga Changte have gained recognition in the field of archery and have brought laurel to the country. Their extraordinary performance in the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 is still remembered by the sports enthusiasts.

Archery Association of India (AAI) has its affiliation with the Indian Olympic Association, International Archery Federation and Asian Archery Federation. Currently, there are 27 State Archery Associations in India. In the country, the sport has gained immense popularity in the states including West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Haryana, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Kerala, Nagaland, Maharashtra and Delhi. Moreover, inter-university and inter-school competitions are also held for archery. A recent development is the inclusion of the sport as a discipline by Railway Sports Control Board, All India Police Sports Board, Indo-Tibetan and Border Security Force.

Over the years, due to the zealous efforts of the AAI, archery has gained considerable recognition commercially, as one of the sports of India, in many parts of the country. One of the sincere efforts of the AAI, in uplifting the condition of archery took place in 2001-2002, when it decided to do away with the National camp system and encourage the individual academies and SAI (Sports Authority of India) centers to take up the responsibility of training the archers. The initiative has paid rich dividends, as young India archers are making it big in the international stage and bringing laurels for the country.