Archers to finally receive certificates

NEW DELHI: More than six months after the Senior National Archery Championships, archers will finally receive their certificates of merit and participation. This decision was taken after the issue was raised in the Transitory Committee meeting on September 14 after several archers raised complaints.
At that point in time, the Archery Association of India was being headed by BVP Rao after the body conducted elections on December 22. And the newly constituted body had decided to conduct national championships in four categories — sub-junior, junior, senior and para-archery. And in three of them, archers did not receive their certificates.

These certificates are needed by athletes in search of jobs, admission, promotion as well as various concessions including travel and lodging.“When we were in power, we decided to clear the backlog of tournaments first to help the athletes. We conducted four events in four months and by the time I was supposed to si­gn on all the certificates, the Supreme Court verdict was out. Hence the entire issue was in limbo. I’m glad the issue is being sorted now,” former AAI president Rao said.

In a mail sent by the Odisha Archery Association (OAA) to all the members of the committee, which is in possession of this daily, they informed the members that the certificates have arrived on September 16. The OAA also asked for Rs 10 lakh as due for them hosting the competition. The committee informed the Odisha body that since the previous elections were declared null and void by the Supreme Court, those certificates hold no value.

It has been decided by the transitory body that fresh certificates will be issued within next week and will have signatures from three bodies — the secretary of the host association, Gunjan Abrol of AAI, and IOA chief Narinder Batra, who is a part of the said group. Most of them have been printed and now the OAA secretary has to come to Delhi to sign the documents in the presence of the committee.

“The usual norm is for athletes to get the certificates along with their medals or after the completion of a tournament. Once the issue was discussed, suddenly the OAA have come up with the certificates. It has been more than six months. How long will archers suffer? All this reeks of incompetence,” said a source close the committee.