These days it is not only the Bhutanese aiming the target in the archery tournaments. Dressed in their traditional attire, teams from Sikkim in India are a regular participants in the tournaments. If numbers are anything to go by, then for archers from Sikkim, taking part in archery tournaments in Bhutan has become growing trend.
This year, in the ongoing Yangphel Archery Tournament six teams from Sikkim are taking part. Four are playing in Phuentshogling and one each on Thimphu and Paro.
Archery, being the National sport and one of the popular sports in Bhutan, they added that it’s a learning experience every time. They sing and dance, and that too to the tunes of Bhutanese songs, when Kareys are hit.
Every year, more teams come and play in Bhutan because archery is gaining popularity even in Sikkim. “We come to take part because we get exposure, experience and get to learn many things about the game,” said Thendup Bhutia, a Sikkimese archer.
They also added that many Bhutanese archery teams also come to take part in the archery tournaments in Sikkim. They said, the Chief Minister’s Gold Cup, the most prestigious archery tournament in Sikkim draws the maximum number of Bhutanese archers.
