NEW DELHI: The first stage of the 2020 archery World Cup in Guatemala City was cancelled on Thursday due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. It was due to be held from 20-26 April. Question marks still remain whether Stage II, to be held in Antalya, Turkey in May, will go on as scheduled after the Turkish government ordered the suspension of all international events until April 30. The Arc­h­­­ery Association of India (AAI) had sent entries for both stages. An invitational tournament set to be held in Turkey, where India were set to take part, was also cancelled. 

“We have been having discussions with regards to international participation for some time now. We will not risk our athletes’ well-being. From the archers point of view, securing women’s team quota is important, for which exposure tours and match practice is necessary. But the current pandemic might not allow for future events to be held as well,” a AAI source said. Even the national calendar maybe hampered. Ap­ril was zeroed in for conducting sub-junior, junior and senior nationals. But now those plans might have to take a backseat. 

“We have not taken any concrete decisions in this regard. The government’s advisory has asked for the suspension of sporting events and we will adhere to them. We will have a meeting and hopefully by next week a final call can be taken,” the source added. 

All the recurve archers are currently training in Army Sports Institute in Pune. With positive cases already recorded in the city, archers have been asked to minimise going to public gatherings. But quite a few archers are currently housed in hotels near the institute. “We are trying to steer clear of places with large footfalls. But what about foreign nationals and Indians who come and stay in the same hotel? Hopefully, a clearer indication will be received in the coming days,” an archer said on the condition of anonymity.