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Five-day senior national archery competition starts in Ayodhya
Union minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the NTPC senior national archery championship in Ayodhya. 1100 archers from across the country are participating.
Union minister for tribal affairs and president of the Archery Association of India Arjun Munda on Saturday inaugurated the five-day NTPC senior national archery championship at the Government Inter College ground in Ayodhya.
In the tournament, 1100 archers from all across the country are participating.
At the inaugural ceremony, Munda said, “Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) has organised an incredible tournament in the land of Lord Ram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritised sports in the country, which is why our athletes are bringing laurels at the international level.”
“Archery is a sport which connects us with our rich heritage and culture,” he added.
Also speaking on the occasion, Awanish Awasthi, president of Uttar Pradesh Archery Association said, “Archers from U.P. are performing exceptionally well on the national circuit. They won a silver medal and bronze at the recently concluded 37th National Games in Goa. The aim is to further popularise the sport of archery among youths in the state and the country.”
Ayodhya serves as a fitting venue for the tournament as it is the city of lord Ram who himself was a skilled archer, said Awasthi.
Girish Chandra Yadav, minister of sport and youth affairs, independent charge, the state government said, “Uttar Pradesh today has become the sports capital of India and the senior national archery tournament is another addition to our terrific list of sporting events.”
On day one of the event, 400 archers displayed their skills in different events. Olympic qualification berth winners B Dhiraj, Tarundeep Rai, Tushar Shelke, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur are among the top recurve archers participating in the event.
World champions Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale besides Parneet Kaur, Avneet Kaur, Abhishek Verma and Prathamesh Jawkar are among the well-known archers who will compete in the event from Sunday.
Prominent among those present at the event include senior officials of the Ayodhya administration and BJP MP Lallu Yadav.
