The Indian archery team will miss the World Cup as the Switzerland government refuses to issue short term visas to the Indian archery contingent. The World Cup is slated to held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 17th May to 23rd May 2021.
The Swiss government took the decision due to the rigorous spike in COVID-19 cases in India, which has devasted the entire nation in the form of a second wave. As several countries have started imposing travel bans on India, Switzerland has recently put India on its red-list but has only allowed its citizens returning from India to enter into the country. Regarding visa denial, the Schengen type C visa needed by the sportspersons, and other short-term visas, especially for tourists, visitors, and various business purposes, have also been denied.
This development will be a huge setback for the Indian archers, who have made their hard work towards qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2021. India has already secured a full quota in its men’s archery event for the Tokyo Olympics with Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav, who are all set to travel to Japan as part of India’s core Olympic team. According to the official release from the Olympics website, for women, Deepika Kumari is the only one to have secured an individual quota for the Olympics.
According to the Times of India, the Archery Association of India (AAI) has already started visa applications for the France events to ensure the Indian women don’t miss out on their final qualification chance. Missing out on the Lausanne World Cup in Switzerland will adversely impact India’s preparations for the event.
The Indian archery women’s team selected for the Lausanne World Cup included Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Komalika Bari and Madhu Vedwan (standby). Whereas the men’s team included Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and Dhiraj Bommadevara (standby).
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