Archery is considered as one of the most ancient sports in India. The root of the game dates back to the Vedic period and the Aurignacian era, when Indian people used the bow and arrow for killing animals for food and warfare. Though it started its journey approximately 25,000 years back in India, Archery started to be recognised as a sport since only a few decades back. The game of Archery in India is being run and managed by a number of national and state level associations, among which the Archery Association of India (AAI) is the apex body.

The Archery Association of India (AAI) is working as the national governing body for Archery in India and it started its journey during the middle half of the twentieth century. The main objective of the AAI is to promote the game of archery in India and also to manage all kinds of Archery related activities in India. The AAI has been spearheading efforts to popularize the game in the Asian region, since its inception and it is also one of the founder members of the Asian Archery Association. The AAI is also an active member of the international governing body for Archery, named the Federation Internationale De Tir A L`Arc (FITA).

With a view to promote the game of Archery in India, the Archery Association of India (AAI) organised the first ever National Meet under FITA rules in New Delhi, in the year 1973. More than 50 archers participated in that competition and since then, the sport of Archery has been going from strength to strength, in India. The AAI decided to do away with the National camp system, in 2001-02, with a view to shake off the prevailing stagnation in Indian Archery. The AAI started to encourage the individual academies and SAI centers to take up the mantle of training the Archers in India. This initiative has brought a lot of benefits to Archery in India, as the new bunch of young Indian Archers is making it big in the international stage and bringing laurels for the country.

The Archery Association of India (AAI) is also getting considerable assistance from the state level Archery associations. The state level associations are mainly working within their respective areas and trying to bring up new talents from the grass route level to represent India in the future. They are also assisting the AAI in organising various tournaments, both at the state and national levels.