Goa is famous for its sun-kissed beaches and vibrant culture, but this May, it became the epicenter of Indian archery. The coastal state successfully hosted the 1st All-India Indoor Archery Tournament, a landmark six-day event that concluded on Friday, May 29, 2026.
Organized by the Amateur Archery Association Goa, under the aegis of the Archery Association of India and the Sports Authority of Goa, the event brought world-class indoor competitive archery to the country for the very first time.
A Massive Turnout at Peddem
Held at the Dayanand Bandodkar Sports Complex at Peddem-Mapusa, the tournament saw an overwhelming response. More than 1,300 archers from across the country participated, ranging from the under-10 category all the way to the seniors.
The concluding day alone witnessed over 300 participants competing in a no-age-bar format. It was a rare and thrilling sight to see young, rising talents going head-to-head with some of the best in the business. Adding to the excitement, Pragati—a member of India's Compound World Cup-winning team—stepped onto the line to soak in the atmosphere and test her skills in this new indoor format.
Modern Scoring Meets Flawless Execution
The sheer scale of the event—managing over 1,300 archers across multiple categories and days—required precision off the shooting line as well. To ensure accuracy and real-time results, the tournament utilized Ianseo, the premier open-source archery scoring software trusted by World Archery for international competitions.
The integration of Ianseo not only streamlined the scoring process but also added a professional, international flavor to the tournament, allowing coaches, spectators, and archers to track progress seamlessly.
View Finals Results from Goa Indoor archery tournament here.
The Champions
The competition was fierce across all categories. Here’s a look at the archers who took home the gold in the events:
|
Category |
Men's Gold |
Women's Gold |
|---|---|---|
|
Recurve |
Aditya Pawar (Maharashtra) |
Anshika Kumari (Bihar) |
|
Compound |
Devansh Singh (Rajasthan) |
Priya Gurjar (Rajasthan) |
|
Indian Round |
Ravi (Haryana) |
Sujata Mandi (West Bengal) |
Note: Rajasthan showed absolute dominance in the Compound events, sweeping several medals, including silver and bronze finishes by Harsh Kumar and Yeshwant Saini in the men's category.
World-Class Infrastructure
For a maiden event, the execution was flawless. Participants were blown away by the arrangements, comparing the Goan setup to international standards.
Avni Malik, a rising star in Indian archery, noted, "It was an amazing atmosphere with high-level arrangements seen abroad for indoor tournaments."
Deepshikha from Haryana, who bagged a silver in the women's compound event, echoed this sentiment: "The facilities were better than I had experienced at the Asian University tournament. I hope the organizers conduct this tournament every year in Goa."
What This Means for Indian Archery
Historically, Indian archers have had to travel abroad to get a taste of high-level indoor competition, such as the Indoor Archery World Series. By successfully hosting an event of this magnitude, Goa has proven that India is ready to build its own indoor archery ecosystem. This provides a crucial platform for amateur archers to shoot alongside elite competitors, fostering the next generation of Olympic and World Championship hopefuls right here at home.
If this inaugural tournament is any indication, indoor archery in India has a very bright—and very accurate—future.
