Meghalaya aims to popularise professional archery ahead of next year’s National Games

Meghalaya has launched an effort to popularise professional archery ahead of next year’s National Games, state chief coach Mim Bahadur Gurung said in Shillong on November 12, 2026. The state has spent the past one-and-a-half years on talent identification, equipment provision and plans to build a dedicated archery centre.

The initiative comes in a state where the traditional legalised pastime of ‘Teer’ gambling remains widespread while organised competitive archery has had little presence. Former India coach Mim Bahadur Gurung has taken an active role in the programme and says the government has backed the project.

“When I came here, there were just six targets and about 20 archers. We scouted in all 12 districts, including the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills. After six months of training, they started producing results in different domestic events,” Gurung, Meghalaya’s chief coach, told The Hindu.

“In ‘Teer’ gambling, archers shoot with rudimentary bows and arrows while sitting. It has been there for ages but is different from professional archery. Changing this culture and interest can bring us medals.”

Gurung, who hails from Siliguri, emphasised realistic expectations for the National Games: “The level is quite high in India. If our archers show improvement, it will be an achievement.” He is overseeing the training of more than 70 archers from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Khelo India and state-run programmes.

Gurung thanked the Meghalaya government for its wholehearted support and outlined the scale of the investment: “The equipment costs in lakhs. The government provided imported equipment to all the recurve and compound archers, apart from those who train with Indian bows. The total cost was ₹4.5 crore.”

Officials have also proposed converting the Parade ground, the venue of the ongoing National championships here, into a dedicated archery centre to provide a permanent training facility for the growing cohort of archers.

The state's immediate objective is to use next year’s National Games as the platform to demonstrate the progress of its newly trained archers.