New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): In order to sharpen preparations for the Asian Games 2026 and the upcoming Archery World Cup stages, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India have continued to provide extensive financial and high-performance support to the country's leading archers, including Dhiraj Bommadevara and Jyothi Surekha Vennam. Both Dhiraj and Jyothi are part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group.

Dhiraj, representing India at the Asiad 2026 in the recurve category, has received overall support amounting to approximately Rs 66.28 lakh so far in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle so far, through TOPS. Compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam, meanwhile, has received close to Rs 24.56 lakh so far in support, according to a press release.

Jyothi was also provided financial assistance towards a personalised Foreign Training Camp from 20 July to 5 August, 2025 (15 Days) in August 2025 at Beiter Archery Centre, Germany. In addition, TOPS has also provided financial assistance for engaging sports and performance psychologist Shree Advani to further strengthen Jyothi's mental conditioning and competition readiness ahead of major international events.

The support comes alongside a structured international and domestic preparation programme for the Indian archery team. Earlier this year, a foreign training camp in Mexico was organised from March 26 to April 5 ahead of the Archery World Cup Stage 1 under NTPC CSR support at a total cost of Rs 57.42 lakh. The exposure camp featured several top Indian archers, including Dhiraj, Jyothi, Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, giving the squad valuable international training exposure before the competitive season.

The preparations are also continuing through an ongoing Senior National Archery Coaching Camp at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Sonipat from May 20 to June 7. The camp has brought together 16 elite archers across recurve and compound categories, supported by coaches and sports science staff, with a clear focus on building combinations, consistency and medal readiness for the Asian Games and upcoming World Cup stages.

To further hone the skills of the archers ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya games, the Asiad-bound archers will go through an exposure camp in Japan from 5th to 18th September. The Asian Games 2026 is scheduled from 19 September to 4 October. (ANI)