World Archery executive director praises Archery Premier League in India
Juan Carlos Holgado, World Archery executive director, praised the Archery Premier League in Hyderabad in remarks to The Hindu published on October 17, 2026, saying the league has brought excitement and drama to the sport. He credited India for launching what he called the world’s only franchise-based league in archery.
India’s push to turn more sports into franchise formats underpins the APL concept, with organisers seeking greater TV friendliness and spectator interest; Holgado quoted Anil Kamineni describing the aim. “Anil Kamineni (APL director) said we’ve to do something to change archery, go to the next level, make it more friendly for TV, get more spectator interest, make it fun by combining recurve and compound,” Holgado told The Hindu.
Holgado said he initially struggled to grasp Kamineni’s vision but acknowledged the first season exceeded expectations. “It was hard for me to see (back then) what he saw. He was a visionary, but he had the determination to make it happen. The first season worked very well, better than we expected! Many countries are afraid to fail, so they make sure everything is in place before starting. India just went for it and fixed it on the way,” he told The Hindu.
On mixing bow disciplines, Holgado described the experiment as unlikely at first but ultimately successful as athletes adapted. “It was like mixing water and oil! But it happened. By the fourth day (of the inaugural season), the compound and recurve archers got the hang of what the other would need,” he said to The Hindu.
Holgado also endorsed the APL’s 15-second shot clock, citing his involvement in previous World Archery timing changes and noting the format’s effect on the spectacle. “I was involved when World Archery went from 30 seconds to 25 then to 20, so I cannot criticize it. Some say if you shorten it too much, you sacrifice accuracy, which is true. But it brings excitement and we need that excitement, emotion and drama in archery. Teams now train and plan around it. They’re like icemen and icewomen!” he told The Hindu.
The 58-year-old differentiated the APL product from international competition while suggesting mutual learning between formats. “They are two different products. We can learn from each other,” Holgado told The Hindu.
Off the range, Holgado singled out the Archery Association of India’s event delivery as his greatest satisfaction, noting a shift in how much support World Archery must provide. “It’s great to see how the Archery Association of India has grown in delivering events. In the past they needed 60 or 70 percent of our help. Now 90 percent is done by them,” he told The Hindu.
