Indian Archery Team to miss out on World Cup Stage 2 after visas get rejected by Swiss Embassy

The Tokyo-bound Indian Archery team will not be a part of the 2021 World Cup Stage 2 in Lausanne from May 17 to 23. The Swiss Embassy refused to issue the athletes short-term visas amid the travel ban imposed on Indian travelers, owing to the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Even though India has won five quotas for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Archery, including four individual events and one team event, the squad were desperate to book a berth in the women’s team event. The upcoming Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Lausanne would have been a golden opportunity for the eves to make the cut.

The Deepika Kumari-led recurve team, along with Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari, recently bagged a gold medal at the World Cup Stage 1, in Guatemala City. The trio were deemed one of the brightest medal prospects at the Games, but as things stand, they are in a race against time to earn eligibility for the mega-event.

“The Swiss authorities are only processing visas for valid national residence permit and long-term type D (education and employment). They are not issuing Schengen visa type C. They are also not processing short-term visas (tourist, visit or business),” AAI (Archery Association of India) secretary Pramod Chandurkar.

Indian women's archery team aiming for World Cup Stage 3, in Paris

However, the Indian team will have their last shot at the World Cup Stage 3 that will kick-off in June, just a month before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. As reported before, the AAI is expecting that the travel restrictions will ease by then.

“We are now focused on sending the archers for the Olympic qualifying meet in Paris and the AAI has already started processing visa applications for the same, keeping the strict flying rules and 10-day quarantine in mind. We can’t miss the tournament as the women team’s Olympic qualification is at stake,” added the official.