CompetitionVerifiedSports & Physical Development

Junior National Archery Championship

Up to age 20Free

National recognition and team selection pathway

National junior archery championship organised by AAI across recurve, compound, and Indian round disciplines for young archers.

Mode

In-Person

Fee

Free

Participation format

Individual and team

Teams of 1 to 3

Duration

8 to 10 days

Eligibility

Open to junior archers under 20 years old representing affiliated state archery associations of India. Selection through state-level trials. Categories include Recurve, Compound, and Indian Round for both boys and girls.

Age range: Up to 20 years
Eligibility region: Available nationwide across India

Prerequisites: Affiliation with a state archery association recognised by AAI
Qualification through state-level trials or ranking tournaments

See if your child qualifies.

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Rewards and recognition

Prizes

Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals

Gold MedalSilver MedalBronze Medal

Certificate

AAI National Championship Certificate

Recognized by

World Archery FederationIndian Olympic AssociationMinistry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Recognition

National Recognition

Skills your child builds

Precision shootingConcentrationMental disciplineCompetition temperament

Key dates

Competition: 21 Oct 2026 to 28 Oct 2026

Sawai Mansingh Stadium Complex, Jaipur, Rajasthan

How to apply

1Register through the affiliated state archery association
2Qualify in state-level trials or selection rounds
3State association submits the entry to the Archery Association of India

Rules and guidelines

Archers must compete under their affiliated state archery association
Equipment must conform to World Archery Federation specifications for the chosen discipline
Age eligibility is verified through birth certificate or school records at registration

About this opportunity

The Junior National Archery Championship is the premier annual archery competition for young archers in India, conducted by the Archery Association of India. The event brings together top junior archers from state associations across the country to compete for national titles.

The championship is open to archers in the junior age category, up to and including the year of their twentieth birthday, representing their respective state archery associations. Entry is through state-level trials and selection rounds conducted by member state units of the federation.

Competition is held across three disciplines: Recurve, Compound, and Indian Round, with individual, team and mixed team events for boys and girls. Winners earn national titles, ranking points for the AAI national rankings, and selection consideration for international youth and junior teams.

Each edition is hosted by a member state unit at a venue named in the federation's annual calendar of events, and draws archers from states and union territories across the country. The championship is the senior-most stage of the junior pathway, and its results feed the federation's national rankings and its selection trials for the India junior and youth teams.

Rounds and format

The championship runs in two phases in each of the three disciplines. Qualification (ranking) round: Junior archers shoot 72 arrows in 12 ends of 6 arrows for a maximum of 720 points, at 70 m in Recurve, 50 m in Compound and 30 m in Indian Round. This score sets the seedings for the knockout bracket, and medals are also awarded on the combined two-round qualification score. Elimination (Olympic) round: the seeded bracket is shot head to head in Individual, Team and Mixed Team events, separately for boys and girls. Recurve and Indian Round individual matches use the set system of up to 5 sets of 3 arrows, where winning a set is worth 2 points and a drawn set 1 point each, and the first archer to 6 set points wins. Recurve and Indian Round team matches use 4 sets of 6 arrows, and mixed team matches 4 sets of 4 arrows, with the first team to 5 set points winning. Compound matches are scored cumulatively instead: 15 arrows for individuals, 24 arrows for teams and 16 arrows for mixed teams, and the highest total wins. Ties go to a shoot-off for score, and if the shoot-off is also level, the arrow closest to the centre of the target face decides it.

How entries are judged

Winners are decided on shooting score alone under World Archery rules, with no subjective element. The qualification ranking is the total of 72 scored arrows out of 720. In Recurve and Indian Round elimination matches the winner is the first to 6 set points in individual events, or 5 set points in team and mixed team events, with each set going to the higher score for that set. In Compound elimination matches the winner is the higher cumulative total over 15 arrows for individuals, 24 for teams and 16 for mixed teams. Level scores are settled by a shoot-off for score, and if that is level too, by the arrow nearest the centre of the target face.

Selection process

Entry is through a state unit, not by individual application. An archer must be registered with a state association or unit affiliated to the Archery Association of India, come through that unit's state-level trials or ranking tournaments, and be entered for the championship by the unit itself. An archer wishing to represent a different state or unit must submit NOCs from both units to the federation by 1 April, and cannot switch again within the same 1 April to 31 March year. At the championship, medals go to the first, second and third positions in each discipline and section. The qualification round awards its own medals on the combined two-round score, and the elimination bracket awards the Individual, Team and Mixed Team titles for boys and girls. Placings also carry national ranking points that feed India junior and youth squad selection.