Archery was known in India as long ago as the Aurignacian era (ca. 40000 years ago) and was played as a sport during the Vedic period.The modern sport of archery gained recognition in India 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) was begun during the middle half of the twentieth century. The main objective of the AAI is to promote the game of archery in India and manage all activities related to the ancient sport. The AAI has also been spearheading efforts to popularize the game in the Asian region since its inception, an is one of the founding 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).
The Archery Association of India (AAI) organised the inaugural National Meet under FITA rules in New Delhi, in 1973. More than 50 archers participated in that competition and since then, the sport of archery has gained growing recognition in India. The AAI began to guide individual academies and AAI centers to take up the mantle of training the Archers in India. This strategy enabled it to nurture several younger talents who have excelled in various international competitions.
The Archery Association of India (AAI) is assisted by various state level Archery associations that work within their respective areas to discover new talents at the grass-roots level. The state level archery associations also organize various tournaments under the supervision of the AAI.
