New Delhi: Left in a limbo after the Sports Ministry's decision to derecognise Archery Association of India last month, the country's top archers Thursday got a shot in the arm after the government decided to appoint Korean coach Lim Chae Woong for the recurve team.
"We have worked out on future plan for the archers and were informed that they would be starting their training by the end of this month. Initially, the training will be held in Pune. We have decided on appointing Korean coach, Lim Chae Woong," sports secretary P K Deb told PTI after he met the archers at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here Thursday.
Deb held a meeting with country's top archers, including Dola Banerjee, Rahul Banerjee, Bombayla Devi and Tarundeep Rai and addressed their concerns, which they had been airing for the past few days. "Till the time, he (Woong) is employed with the Indian Army, he can train of the archers." Olympian Rahul Banerjee, who was present at the meeting seemed satisfied with the developments.
"The ministry has promised to directly provide us with the funds for our equipments unlike earlier times when funds were routed through the AAI," Rahul stated. "The ministry is looking at a long-term plan which is not only for the preparations of the 2016 Rio Olympics but also for the 2020 Games," the Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Asian Games bronze medal winner said.
With the government de-recognising the AAI, archers who found themselves left in the lurch and decided to seek ministry's help. The ministry had earlier said that they were willing to hold discussions with the archers only if they came under the umbrella of a competent authority and not as representatives of the AAI.
Stating that the discussion went off well with the Ministry also deciding to appoint a coach for the archers, Deb said, "The six-member Indian archery team had complained after the event that they were not satisfied with the training methods adopted by the then chief coach Limba Ram, whose contract expired at the end of the Olympics."
However, almost all those, who had competed at London, had earlier trained under Woong and were full of praise for him. "I think the archers are happy with the arrangement as they were in complete doldrums after de-recognition of the AAI," said Deb. The sports secretary, however, denied that he had any communication with the AAI despite some of its officials present at the stadium today.
"As far as the AAI is concerned, there are no plans to lift the ban. Today also, I did not have any communication with the officials of the body," he said.
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