Dola happy for archery’s Sahara

Dola Banerjee, the 2007 world champion archer, has welcomed Sahara’s move to inject money into the sport. Archery, an Olympic sport which can well fetch gold for India in the 2010 C’Wealth Games, faces the same step-motherly treatment from sponsors as other disciplines of its ilk. This is where Sahara’s move could make a difference, felt the two-time Olympian while talking to DNA on Thursday.

Though the actual figure of the deal is still not clear, Dola said: “Any amount of money is welcome. Though I don’t expect it to be a ground-breaking sum, it may serve as an incentive for others to follow.” In a company release, Sahara India Pariwar has announced that it will support the men’s and women’s national teams for the next four years.

The company, which also supports boxing and wrestling, has pledged to pay “special incentives” to the top 10 Indian archers each year on the basis of their annual performance. For Dola, the first woman archer to be conferred with the Arjuna award, the money couldn’t have come sooner. “The Indian team has been performing really well in the last one year. The men’s team has been successful in winning gold in virtually every international outing. I see this as a confirmation of our success. And it will surely encourage us to do even better.”

Dola failed to make past the opening round in Bejing Olympic Games and was suffering from a major loss of confidence. She seemed to have put it behind her with a good performance in the last three World Cups. “I am feeling much better now after my good showing in Santa Domingo, US, where I got a bronze. In Croatia, the venue for the second stage of the World Cup, I reached the pre-quarters in the team event. In Antalaya, Turkey, I again got a bronze in the individual category.”

With the fourth stage coming up in Shanghai from August 1, Dola wants to follow it up with a gold. “I am confident. After this there is also the World Championships in Ulsan, Korea, where I hope to be among the medals.”

The women’s team has a busy schedule for the rest of the year. Back from Ulsan, there will be an Asian Circuit in Kolkata followed by selection trials in October. The Asian Championship is in November and in December, the 16-member squad is likely to be pruned to eight in another selection trial for the C’Wealth Games.