A RevSportz Exclusive
Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee Sanjeeva Kumar Singh, a pioneer in Indian compound archery, expressed his happiness after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced the inclusion of compound archery for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Archery has featured only Recurve since its re-inclusion in the Olympics programme in Münich 1972. The LA28 Games will have a mixed-team compound archery event along with the other five existing Recurve events.
Sanjeeva, who recently retired as the High-Performance Director of Archery India, has now set up his own academy for nurturing young talents.
In the exclusive conversation with RevSportz, he deep-dived into the relevance of having compound archery in the Olympics and what it means for India as a whole.
“I remember when I started compound archery in 2004, people used to laugh at us”, he recalled. People used to question his decision and say — “It has no future.”
“Since then, we have come a long way in compound archery, winning multiple medals including golds at the Asian Games, World Cups and other international events. However, till you get Olympic recognition, it is mostly sidelined.
So what made Sanjeeva push for compound archery? What was the future prospect that he saw back in 2004?
“I had a very strong feeling that this is one game where Indians can achieve very high,” he said. “It creates a level playing field for the Indian archers.” How? “Because Indian archers are short in height and physiques are less strong.”
What makes Recurve relatively difficult for Indians? “When you look at Recurve, the poundages are very high,” answered Sanjeeva. “All the top archers, be it from the European countries or the Americans, have got the stronger physique and they could average shots of 45 and above, around 50. Indians are generally in the range of 42 to 44.
“By nature, the general height being 5’ 4” for the Indian girls and 5’ 6” for the boys, we have a physical disadvantage when it comes to Recurve. In compound, whether you are shorter, fatter, stronger — it doesn’t matter much. Everybody can shoot the same poundage. It’s all about skills and the mind”, said Sanjeeva. “An Indian archer shoots a 56 or 58 and a European archer would also average a 56.”
Sanjeeva draws an analogy from other sports of how Indians are generally good at skills rather than physicality. “Indians have always excelled in disciplines that demand skill and mental strength—whether it’s chess, shooting, or other sports that involve strategic thinking and precision,” he said. “These are areas where the Indian mind thrives.
“When it comes to sports requiring sheer physical power, we’ve historically faced challenges. Take hockey, for example—India once dominated the sport thanks to superior skill and finesse. However, with the increasing emphasis on athleticism and physical strength, especially after the introduction of astroturf, the dynamics changed.
“Now, there’s a renewed effort to adapt and reclaim ground, and we have done exceptionally well in modern hockey in the recent past. But it remains clear that sports emphasising technique and mental composure continue to be our strong suit. Compound archery is a perfect example—it’s not just about strength, it’s a mind game, and that’s where Indians can truly shine.”
India’s journey in Compound Archery has always seen a positive growth curve. Since Compound Archery started in India, in the early 2000s, it has grown with time. “We became the World no.1,” said Sanjeeva. “Take a look at the current scenario. Just after the LA28 inclusion was announced, the team played the World Cup stage 1 in Florida and won gold in the mixed team.”
Emphasising more on Compound Archery’s success, he continued, “In the last three years, Indian archery has won 248 medals and out of these, 80 per cent were won by the compound archers. All the gold medals in the Asian Games in Hangzhou were again from the compound archers.”
One significant development on the Indian archery circuit that happened after the LA28 inclusion was the influx of corporate support. “In just a matter of 10 days, the top senior compound archers have been taken over by the corporates like Reliance Foundation, OGC (Olympic Gold Quest), GoSports Foundation, SBI Foundation, JSW Sports and others,” said Sanjeeva. “They now see that there’s a chance of winning an Olympic medal, and a gold medal is only possible in Compound.”
However, the Olympics is a different ball game, and now every other country will focus more on Compound Archery as they used to earlier. It won’t be a cakewalk for India. “I know it won’t be easy,” said Sanjeeva. “Till now, Compound was seated as a second citizen, but now all countries will start putting in money and more effort will be made.
“Yes, it’ll not be a cakewalk, but we’ll have a first-mover advantage. We have been training for this for the last twenty years.”