‘To create Olympic warriors’ – India’s new Archery Premier League aims for bull’s eye

“Archery is in our Indian culture and Dasra is the most auspicious day to take up this challenge,” says treasurer and technical brains behind the league, Dr Joris Paulose Ummacherial. “All the team names will be synonymous with great warriors of India through the ages, and the inspiration was ancient history. But when we talk of Indian archers now, the real reason behind this league is this – Indians have been winning international Archery meets everywhere except at the Olympics. Through this league, we want to increase pressure on our best athletes and see how they hold up. We want to create Olympic warriors and champion archers,” says the senior technical official.

The 6-team league is expected to run from October 2 – 14, and the likely venue would be the Yamuna Sports Complex. While Dr Joris doesn’t disclose the teams which will be announced in coming days, social media activity points to possible franchises from Ranchi, Delhi, Telangana, Chennai, Bangalore and possibly a team from either Maharashtra or Rajasthan to honour the western flank warriors of the country.

The team match will be contested over mixed team duels – each in Recurve and Compound (now an Olympic event) – and a total of 10 days will be devoted to round robin fixtures, with 3 matches per day. Each match will last 20 minutes, and the arrow shooting time has been reduced to 15 seconds from the internationally allotted 20 seconds, “to pile the pressure and get them used to tension.”

It must be recollected that many big names in Indian archery have wilted in the competition cauldron of Olympics, falling to nerves, even while winning in minimal pressure ‘World Cups’. Korea, the world’s premier Archery nation is known to simulate pressure tactics for its archers and put them under intense stress, in their domestic competitions. This promises to be a trial by fire, for Indian archers too, as crowds will be encouraged to create a noisy din. “We want to make the event much faster so that it’s a sterner Test,” Dr Ummacherial says.

While Doordarshan will loyally broadcast the league, talks are underway for OTT presentation with JioStar and Sony both.

Teams have been nudged to enlist brand ambassadors, and film stars and famous sportspersons will be unveiled in coming days, aligned to every team. While the doctor didn’t divulge any details, a corporate that has been part of Indian archery’s journey for many decades, is expected to take up the Ranchi franchise. The other franchise owners are not historically associated with archery.

The inaugural season will see players drafted, and not auctioned, and each squad of 8 members (4 women & 4 men), can have 2 foreign archers on their roster, and are mandated to field 1 of them, amongst the 4 that will make up the team.

An archer ranked in Top 10 in the world stands to earn USD 10,000, while someone that is Top 8 in India, but not Top 20 in world, will earn USD 8000.

A few other rules, not part of international archery, have been included. Besides the shorter drawing and pull time, a shootoff in case of a tie, will have a sudden death, though an extra point will be given for a smack bullseye – besides the inner/outer points system of the concentric rings. The target distances remain 70 metres and 50 metres.

It is also learnt that one point of contention at the ideating stage of the APL was the competition gear of archers. One idea floated was that teams will cosplay and pick a regional, traditional outfit to create the cultural vibe. Archery’s technical officials with their sights on the ultimate goal of Olympic medal, though, insisted that archers stick to their international standard competition gear, but could turn up for interviews in ethnic wear, that highlights Indian culture. It’s time for mythology to pave the path for the country’s top archers to bust myths of their non-medalling and become modern day history-makers.