ITANAGAR, OCT 12:
The Indian Army will identify promising young archers from Arunachal Pradesh and provide them advanced training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, besides taking care of their education, food and accommodation during the training period, a senior officer said on Monday.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 4 Corps Lt Gen Neeraj Shukla announced the initiative at the closing ceremony of the 5th state-level Archery Championship in Tawang, an official communique informed here.
He said archers who attain 18 years of age and wish to join the Army would also be considered for direct recruitment under the proposed initiative.
The selection process is scheduled to begin in Tawang by October-end.
Lt Gen Shukla said the Army was working to nurture young talent across six sporting disciplines and prepare promising athletes for upcoming national and international competitions.
He also acknowledged Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s support for the initiative, which is expected to create opportunities for young sportspersons in the state to pursue sports alongside education and build a career.
Tawang zila parishad chairperson Leki Gombu, addressing the occasion, congratulated the participating archers and urged them to remain disciplined and dedicated to their sport.
He thanked the chief minister for supporting sports promotion in the state and noted that archery, once largely practised in the region during the Losar festival, was increasingly emerging as a potential career option for young people with growing institutional support and training opportunities.
Earlier, GOC of 5 Mountain Division Maj Gen Amit Nautiyal handed over 10 sets of archery equipment worth Rs 40 lakh to archers of Tawang district under Operation Sadbhavana.
The equipment comprised six sets of recurve bows and four sets of compound bows.
The medals and awards were presented to winners in various categories by Tawang MLA Namgey Tsering, Major General Nautiyal, Superintendent of Police Tasi Darang, Zila Parishad members and other dignitaries.
The five-day championship saw archers from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh compete in various categories, displaying precision, discipline and sportsmanship. (DIPR/PTI)
