For the first time in 12 years, India will send a full six-member archery contingent to the Paris Olympics, qualifying them to compete in all five events: men’s team, women’s team, mixed team, men’s individual, and women’s individual events. The achievement was based on updated world rankings, where both the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured team quotas.
India last fielded a six-member archery team at the London 2012 Olympics, competing in the four available events then. The mixed team event was introduced later, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Despite numerous appearances, India has yet to win an Olympic medal in archery.
India, along with China, qualified for the men’s team event, while Indonesia was the second nation to secure the women’s team quota. The team events will feature 12 teams each, with five teams competing in the mixed team events. This year marks the first time team quotas are offered to the top two nations after three Olympic qualifying stages.
The qualifying stages were as follows:
- World Archery Championships (Berlin): South Korea, Turkey, and Japan (men); Germany and Mexico (women).
- Continental Qualifiers:
Asian leg: Kazakhstan (men) and South Korea (women).
Pan-America: Colombia and the United States.
Europe: Italy (men) and the Netherlands (women).
- Final Olympic Qualifier (Antalya, Turkey): Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and Great Britain (men); China, Malaysia, Great Britain, and Chinese Taipei (women).
The Archery Association of India (AAI) decided to retain the World Cup Stage 3 squad for the Olympics, eliminating the need for further trials. This decision allows seasoned archers Tarundeep Rai and former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari to make their fourth Olympic appearances.
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