There is only one week left for the start of Archery World Cup stage 1 and the big news is that 6 archers and three associate staff members of the Indian team are still waiting for visa approval. This tournament is going to be held in Florida from 8 April and the US has not given visas to these players yet. Participation in the competition of these players has been in danger due to visa delay. The affected players include world champion Aditi Gopichand Swamy (Compound Women), Olympian Dheeraj Bomdevara (Recurve Purusha), Uday Kamboj (Compound Male), Anshika Kumari (Recurve woman), Madhura Dhamangaonkar (Compound Women) and Chikitha Taniparthi (Compound Women).
Visa application submitted 40 days ago
Gunjan Abrol, Assistant Secretary of the Archery Association of India (AAI), said that the visa applications were submitted 40 days ago, but the process is stuck due to technical disturbances. ‘We were initially assured to get a visa appointment, but till now the problem remains the same. We made rounds of the US embassy, sent many emails and also sought help from the Government of India, but no result came out. He said that an application was made for 12 members, out of which three got separate visas, but nine are still in the waiting list.
Dheeraj Bomdevara sought help
Olympian Dheeraj Bommadevara, pleading for help on social media, wrote, “Have been struggling for a visa appointment for more than a month, and there is only one week left in the tournament.” If the visa is not received on time, the India compound will not be able to participate in the women’s team event, because it is necessary for the team to have three archers. In addition, there will be a loss of ranking points, which can affect the merit of the Indian team for the Paris Olympics. AAI is still hoping to release the visa, but the time is ending rapidly.