Archers Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari request Gautam Gambhir to save archery ground 15 days before Tokyo Olympics 2020

Indian archers Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari have urged the East Delhi Member of Parliament Gautam Gambhir not to convert the archery ground at the Yamuna Sports Complex into a cricket ground.

Former international cricketer Gautam Gambhir posted a video, on Twitter, of the ground at the sports complex which is currently undergoing upgradation work.

Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari request Gautam Gambhir

Following the tweet by Gambhir, several fans and archery players like Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das and Abhishek Verma urged the MP not to convert the facility into a cricket ground. The DDA’s Yamuna Sports Complex hosted archery events during the Commonwealth Games in 2010, and is currently used to host archery tournaments and train young archers from all over the country.

Later, Gautam Gambhir clarified that the ground is only being upgraded and not converted into a cricket ground. In a tweet, the MP said the ground is being upgraded to ensure that it can be used for multiple sports.

Lokesh Chand, a coach at the Archery Association of India academy that is run at the Yamuna Sports Complex spoke to Sportskeeda about the ground.

Speaking about the tweets by Gautam Gambhir, Lokesh Chand said:

“Mr Gambhir has time and again assured us that this will always remain an archery ground. Yet he took to Twitter to promote it as the first ever international stadium in East Delhi. Such tweets scare us.”

Chand agreed that upgradation work is good for the complex but said that the ground should retain its identity.

“There is upgradation work happening which is good. They have built a pavilion, installed floodlights, and built a scoreboard but it should not be identified as a cricket ground. Indian archery has created history at this venue. We produce an international archer at this ground every year. It should always be identified for archery, and not cricket.”

Lokesh Chand also questioned whether East Delhi really needs another cricket ground. He said:

“The iconic Feroz Shah Kotla Ground is also situated in East Delhi. It has hosted so many international matches over the years. Then why is this – the only archery ground in Delhi – being promoted as a cricket ground for East Delhi.”

The coach also questioned why no upgrade has been made to cater to the needs of the archery players.

“The DDA should upgrade it since it is a source of revenue for them. But if they really care about all sports, and not just cricket, then why not build a hostel for the archers in the complex? We have children who come from all over India to train here, they could use a hostel.”

The ground at the Yamuna Sports Complex was in the news earlier this year as well, after Gautam Gambhir wrote a letter to the DDA requesting to name the ground after cricketer Anil Kumble.