AAI’s faulty Olympics policy may end Champia’s Rio dream

Sabi Hussain

New Delhi, April 14

Indian recurve archer Mangal Singh Champia finds himself at the receiving end of the Archery Association of India’s (AAI) faulty selection policy for the Rio Olympics.

Champia, who earned an individual Olympics quota at the Copenhagen World Championships last June, has been told by the AAI that he would have to compete in a series of selection trials to decide the country’s representation in both the individual and men’s team recurve categories. But the AAI informed Champia about the trials only after he had secured the Rio berth. 

The AAI has changed its selection policy from the one during the 2012 London Olympics. Jayant Talukdar had secured an Olympics quota in the individual recurve event for the London Games. Later, the men’s recurve team too qualified from the World Cup. 

When the AAI conducted the trials to decide the team composition, it was agreed that Talukdar wouldn’t appear for the trials since he had already secured a quota place. The AAI organised the trials for the two available places, which were taken by Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Roy.

But the AAI is applying a different yardstick in the case of Champia, a four-time World Cup gold medallist, two-time Asian Games medallist and an Arjuna awardee.

Though the men’s archery team is yet to qualify for Rio, the last-minute policy change may result in Champia losing his individual place to Banerjee or Roy. Even if the recurve team fails to qualify for Rio from the World Cup in Antalya in June, both Banerjee and Roy are way ahead of Champia in the national rankings. That would mean that one out of them two would travel to Rio to participate in the individual recurve event.

Champia’s employer, Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), has written a letter to the AAI, alleging bias.