The 1st Runners-up team of the Druk Super Star Archery Championship 2022 has filed a case against its organiser for not giving them the promised prizes. Druk Choglay Namgyal, a Samtse-based archery team, registered the case at the Samtse District Court recently. Winning the second position in the tournament, the team members were supposed to get an electric scooter each worth Nu 120,000 or 125,000. They were instead given an archery bow said to be worth about Nu 95,000.
Unhappy with the prizes, the 1st runners-up of the Druk Super Star Archery Championship 2022, Team Druk Choglay Namgyal filed a case against the organisers of the tournament, Kencho Wangdi at the Samtse District Court last week. In the letter submitted to the court, they accuse him of not giving the announced prizes and giving them lower-quality bows.
As per the organiser’s announcement dated 25th July earlier this year, the winners of the competition were supposed to win a 25 days trip to Australia. Likewise, the first runner-up and the second runner-up were supposed to get an electric scooter and a bow each respectively. However, the runner-up team said both the 1st and the 2nd runners-up teams received a bow each during the final rounds.
As per the team members, the organizer, Kencho Wangdi during the final match reasoned the unavailability of electric scooter sellers in Thimphu for the sudden change in the 2nd and 3rd prizes.
However, upon receiving and accepting the prize, they realized the bow was unusual and would only fetch them about Nu 95,000.
The team also blamed the organiser for awarding them lower quality and lesser priced bows. They claimed as the first runners-up of the tournament, they were only given a compound bow worth only Nu 95,000 while the third position winners were awarded compound bows worth 105,000 ngultrums.
Moreover, the letter states that the team had also talked with a few of the electric scooter dealers in Thimphu and found out that Ford and Eicher showrooms at Babesa had plenty of electric scooters in stock.
The organizer Kencho Wangdi justified that he had announced and discussed with the teams regarding the change in the prize.
“At the beginning, when we announced the prizes for the tournament we said we would give electric scooters to the first runners-up. But we changed the prize as we learned that the import of two-wheelers is banned. It is not that we have not discussed it with them. We have discussed with them on one of the BBS talk shows and even informed them in their groups,” said Kencho Wangdi, the organiser.
Unable to sell the bow which they received in the competition, the members claim to have asked the organizer to sell the bow and give them only Nu 95,000. They said they had never heard from him since then.
But the organizer said he didn’t feel it necessary to take their calls and explain the same thing time and again.
“When the prize was changed, at least they should ask what will be the prize now. If they wanted cash, they should tell,” said Kencho Wangdi.
The team members also accused Kencho Wangdi of defaming the Samtse team and the team captain in particular by going LIVE on Facebook a few times.
The Druk Super Star Archery Championship 2022 which began on September 7 saw 181 teams including 13 teams from Sikkim, India. The tournament was conducted for around two months in Haa, Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Bumthang, Mongar, Gelegphu, Phuentshogling, and Sikkim.
Passang Dorji/Namgay Wangchuk
