Shillong, August 11: The Meghalaya State Archery Championship 2026 got underway on Tuesday at the Sports Authority of India Centre on the NEHU campus, with more than 200 archers and officials participating in the three-day event.
Organised by the Archery Association of Meghalaya (AAM), the championship features archers across age groups competing in the Indian Round, recurve and compound categories in both individual and team events.
The AAM said it was particularly pleased that all 12 districts of Meghalaya are represented at this year’s championship. The opening day was dedicated to Indian Round events, with the first medals scheduled to be presented on Wednesday.
Smti Isawanda Laloo, IAS, Secretary of the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, attended the opening ceremony as chief guest. She was accompanied by Meghalaya State Olympic Association General Secretary Shri Finely L. Pariat and Assistant Director of Sports and Youth Affairs Shri Khroobok Passah.
Laloo and Pariat also tried their hand at recurve archery and experienced first-hand the strength required to draw a bowstring.
Archery gearing up for National Games
Addressing the gathering, Laloo said the state government, sports associations and athletes were working intensively in preparation for the 39th National Games, which Meghalaya is scheduled to host next year.
She highlighted Meghalaya’s performance at the 1st Khelo India Tribal Games earlier this year, where both of the state’s two gold medals were won in archery, along with a bronze.
“That shows that all the efforts of the association are paying off,” Laloo said, while encouraging the participating archers to carry forward the state’s growing legacy in the sport.
“On your slender shoulders lies the hope that this legacy will be carried forwards and translated into many more medals in future,” she told the young archers.
Laloo also said that two Centres of Excellence are being developed in the Garo Hills and Khasi-Jaintia Hills, describing the initiative as a dream of the Chief Minister.
Senior Nationals to serve as National Games test event
The keynote address was delivered by Smti Matsiewdor War Nongbri, IAS, Chief Advisor of the AAM, a former archer and renowned archery judge.
War Nongbri announced that the Senior National Archery Championship will be held in Meghalaya later this year. Laloo said the championship would be considered a test event for the 39th National Games.
Speaking about the history of the sport, War Nongbri said archery had been an important means of survival for human communities, including those in Meghalaya, for thousands of years and had since evolved into a sport and leisure activity.
She also highlighted the contribution of Meghalayan archer Woodward Sohliya, whom she described as instrumental in the development of modern archery in India and the architect of the Indian Round.
“After tireless striving, we stand at a much more comfortable place now,” War Nongbri said, attributing the progress to the vision of the Chief Minister, Sports Minister and the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs.
She noted that AAM had received extensive support in the form of coaches, performance directors, personnel and equipment as Meghalaya prepares to host the National Games.
“We promise not to leave any stone unturned to reach the pinnacles of glory that every archer seeks,” she concluded.
The championship will continue on Wednesday, when the first medals of the three-day competition will be awarded.
