Kazakhstan refrains from hosting Para Archery C'ships, event moved to Delhi; here's why

Kazakhstan has withdrawn as the host of the upcoming Asian Archery Para Championships due to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The country, which shares a border with Russia, stated that it would be unable to host the event due to regional unrest. India has been chosen as the host nation for the championships, which will take place from May 31 to June 6. The competition will take place at the Yamuna Sports Complex in New Delhi.

According to Pramod Chadurkar, secretary-general of the Archery Association of India (AAI), India submitted proposals to organise the tournament when Kazakhstan indicated it would be unable to do so owing to regional instability. Due to the time constraints, Chadurkar indicated there may be some organisational issues, but he guaranteed to pull the event off with better technical resources.

"The tournament will now be held at the Yamuna Sports Complex, New Delhi. Kazakhstan expressed their inability to host the tournament because of the current crisis and we readily sent out proposals. This will be held in the same window so the respective countries will just have to alter their travel plans. There is less time but we are ready to support them. There will be some organisational challenges but with our technical resources we will pull it off," Chadurkar was quoted as saying by news agency Chadurkar. 

Russia-Ukraine conflict

The security situation in the region is at an all-time low, with Russia and Ukraine locked in a full-fledged conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War II. On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine by land, air, and sea, marking a major escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian war, which began in 2014 and culminated in Moscow's unlawful seizure of Crimea. The current conflict erupted after months of a military build-up by Russia along the Ukrainian border.

Over 3.8 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their nation as a result of the conflict, while millions have been displaced internally. The Ukrainian government claims that over 6,000 people have died as a result of the fighting, whereas the UN thinks that the number is anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500. Russia has been sanctioned by the United States and its allies for what it alleges is an unjustified "war of aggression."

Image: AP