The Indian Round of the 35th Junior National Archery Championship was formally inaugurated by Shri Dinesh Reddy, I.P.S., Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, Sports Complex, Gachibowli on Wednesday. Also present on the occasion were Mr. Dwarka Tirumala Rao, Cyberabad Police Commissioner and Mr. Anil Kamineni, President, A.P. Archery Association & Secretary General, Archery Association of India. The Andhra Pradesh Archery Association is hosting the the 35th Junior National Archery Championship from the 12th to the 21st of February 2013 at Hyderabad.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Dinesh Reddy said, the emphasis of A.P. police is today on non lethal weapons. Archery would be appropriate for police personnel especially in hilly tracks and tribal areas, where people use bow and arrow. Our police could confidently tackle law and order issues in such areas with training in archery. I request the AP Archery Association to depute a team of Coaches to train police personnel. Hope to see an A.P. Police Archery team in future Archery competition like this one day, he added. Hosting of the prestigious Archery Championship in Hyderabad, which conducted a major hockey tournament recently is another feather in the cap of Hyderabad city, he opined.
Mr. Anil Kamineni in his welcome remarks said, requested DGP Shri Dinesh Reddy to introduce A.P. Police to Archery, as is done by some states in the country, like Nagaland which has sent a Police team to this competition. Mr Kamineni said, this is the first time the Andhra Pradesh Archery Association is hosting a Junior National Archery Championship. Around 150 archers from all over India are participating in the Indian Round of the Junior National. Players use bamboo arrows in Indian Round, which are inexpensive and easily accessible and are appropriate for the entry level in Archery. The Compound Round and Recurve Round of the Championship will begin on 15th and 18th of February respectively, he added.
More than 400, Archers from over 25 States and Sports Units are expected to participate in the events. The Junior National Championship is attracting the top Archers of India. Some of the Archers include National Champions and International medal winners who have brought laurels to the country on the world stage, such as Ritul Chaterjee, Jyothi Surekha and C.H. Jignas from Andhra Pradesh and several others from around the country.
Andhra Pradesh is among the leading states in India, in Archery. Hosting major Archery events such as these, would give a further boost by inspiring and attracting young talent.