NEW DELHI: India’s leading woman compound archer, Jyothi Surekha Vennam , still feels the pain of the govt snub. Her name was not recommended for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for the year 2023 and 2024, even though she had logged the highest points among athletes chosen for the honour.
Now, following the addition of compound archery discipline to the Summer Games schedule for Los Angeles 2028, the world No. 4 archer believes the govt may extend equal treatment to her and her peers, aligning them with sportspersons from Olympic sports, and giving equivalent recognition to their accomplishments.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced the addition of the compound mixed team event to the archery schedule for Los Angeles, a significant milestone for both the sport and the global compound archery community. Until now, only recurve events have featured at the Games under various competition categories since archery’s return to the Olympics in 1972.
“I believe all athletes should be treated the same way, whether you are an Olympic or a non-Olympic event sportsperson. With the inclusion of the compound archery mixed team event in Olympics, I believe compound archers will get the same recognition due to them for their efforts as our Olympic athletes get.
Maybe, we will be treated equally now as compared to Olympic sport athletes. Earlier, the priority was given to them first. We hope that the perspective of others towards us will change now,” Jyothi told TOI on Wednesday upon her return to India from the USA, where she participated in the Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 1 in Auburndale.
Jyothi and her partner Rishabh Yadav celebrated the inclusion of their mixed team event in the Olympics with a gold medal victory over Chinese Taipei’s Huang I-Jou and Chen Chieh-Lun in a closely contested final at the World Cup. The Indian pair triumphed 153-151 in the final, which was the season’s first major international competition.
On her omission from the Khel Ratna shortlist, she shared, “I felt very bad (when her name wasn’t recommended for the Khel Ratna in 2023 & 2024). I was left with no other option but to approach the court. In a judgment pronounced earlier this year, the court (Andhra High Court) directed the sports ministry to reconsider my application.
“There hasn’t been a single response from the ministry. I hope that with our sport making the Olympics cut, the ministry will consider conferring the award on me this year. See, be it an Olympic or non-Olympic sport, we are athletes who are representing the nation. Being part of an Olympic sport just doesn’t define us.
“As a compound archer, I’m winning medals at every major international competition, be it the World Cups, World or Asian championships or the Asian Games . What was our fault if our event wasn’t part of the Olympics earlier? I sincerely hope that the authorities don’t overlook my credentials in the future,” she added.
The 28-year-old archer, from Andhra Pradesh, has secured over 65 international medals, among them eight World Championships podium finishes, three Asian Games and nine World Cup gold medals in her distinguished career.
Now, following the addition of compound archery discipline to the Summer Games schedule for Los Angeles 2028, the world No. 4 archer believes the govt may extend equal treatment to her and her peers, aligning them with sportspersons from Olympic sports, and giving equivalent recognition to their accomplishments.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced the addition of the compound mixed team event to the archery schedule for Los Angeles, a significant milestone for both the sport and the global compound archery community. Until now, only recurve events have featured at the Games under various competition categories since archery’s return to the Olympics in 1972.
“I believe all athletes should be treated the same way, whether you are an Olympic or a non-Olympic event sportsperson. With the inclusion of the compound archery mixed team event in Olympics, I believe compound archers will get the same recognition due to them for their efforts as our Olympic athletes get.
Maybe, we will be treated equally now as compared to Olympic sport athletes. Earlier, the priority was given to them first. We hope that the perspective of others towards us will change now,” Jyothi told TOI on Wednesday upon her return to India from the USA, where she participated in the Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 1 in Auburndale.
Jyothi and her partner Rishabh Yadav celebrated the inclusion of their mixed team event in the Olympics with a gold medal victory over Chinese Taipei’s Huang I-Jou and Chen Chieh-Lun in a closely contested final at the World Cup. The Indian pair triumphed 153-151 in the final, which was the season’s first major international competition.
On her omission from the Khel Ratna shortlist, she shared, “I felt very bad (when her name wasn’t recommended for the Khel Ratna in 2023 & 2024). I was left with no other option but to approach the court. In a judgment pronounced earlier this year, the court (Andhra High Court) directed the sports ministry to reconsider my application.
“There hasn’t been a single response from the ministry. I hope that with our sport making the Olympics cut, the ministry will consider conferring the award on me this year. See, be it an Olympic or non-Olympic sport, we are athletes who are representing the nation. Being part of an Olympic sport just doesn’t define us.
“As a compound archer, I’m winning medals at every major international competition, be it the World Cups, World or Asian championships or the Asian Games . What was our fault if our event wasn’t part of the Olympics earlier? I sincerely hope that the authorities don’t overlook my credentials in the future,” she added.
The 28-year-old archer, from Andhra Pradesh, has secured over 65 international medals, among them eight World Championships podium finishes, three Asian Games and nine World Cup gold medals in her distinguished career.
You may also like
Delhi Airport issues advisory for potential flight delays due to weather conditions
Mum-of-two, 31, dies after man 'posing as surgeon tried to remove BBL implants'
Vipin Mathew Shares Insights on Cloud Evolution, Cost Optimization & Machine Learning
MI vs SRH: Ishan Kishan's flop show continues, his bat did not work against Mumbai as well; scored only 138 runs in seven innings..
Guru Tegh Bahadur's sacrifice inspires society to protect their faith for eternity: HM Shah on Prakash Parv
