Recurve archers who will be trying their luck at the selection trials for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Jamshedpur later this month will have to adhere to strict Covid-related SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) made mandatory by the Archery Association of India (AAI).

The selection trials are scheduled at the JRD Tata Sports Complex from November 23 to 27. Fifty-seven (40 men and 17 women) will be attending the trials.

According to the SOP, it is mandatory for all the participants, including archers, team officials, technical officials to undergo a Covid test and carry the negative RTPCR test report issued not more than 48 hours before arriving in Jamshedpur, all participants will be subjected to body temperature check with an electronic thermometer as they enter the JRD Tata Sports Complex premises on a daily basis.

Participants will also be required to wear a face mask at all times while at the venue, except while shooting the arrows, during transit and out of the hotel room for safety reasons. They should have the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones.

The archers and officials will be accommodated at Hotel Ginger in Bistupur.

AAI joint secretary Sumanta Chandra Mohanty informed that the Sports Authority of India has given its approval for conducting the trials in Jamshedpur. “Four men recurve archers and as many women will be selected after the trials. The core group of 8 men and as many women archers that were selected on the basis of selection trials before the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics have been exempted from appearing for the trials in Jamshedpur,” he added.

The selected archers from this trial will have to join the national camp which is in progress at the Army Sports Institute in Pune for Olympics preparation. “Archers who have scored 650 and above (men), and 630 and above (women) are eligible to take part in the ensuing trials,” Mohanty informed.

The national archery outfit has asked the participants to ensure that their entries reach on or before November 15 at archeryselectionindia@gmai.com. Entries received after the deadline will not be entertained.

Boarding and lodging facilities would be provided to participating archers and technical officials only. Accompanying team coaches/members will have to make their own stay arrangements.

The arrangements for thermometer, hand sanitizer, face shield and face mask, field equipment, local transportation, tent, chairs, tables and sound system will be provided by Tata Steel, the custodians of the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

The Indian men’s team has already qualified for the Olympics while ace archer Deepika Kumari is the lone woman to have made it to the big-ticket event.

The steel city had played host to the selection trials in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Deepika Kumari, L Bombayala Devi, Laxmi Rani Majhi, Rimil Biruily, veteran Dola Banerjee, Reenan Kumari, Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia were among the top archers who had tried their luck at the trials.