The 16th Teer National Archery Championships will get underway on Wednesday at the Archery Training Academy in Tongi, with a record 71 teams taking part in the four-day competition.

A total of 210 archers will compete in 10 events across two divisions -- recurve and compound. For the first time, medal winners in four individual events will receive prize money.

“We have introduced prize money for individual event medallists. We spend a significant amount to organise the championships, but the archers did not receive any financial reward previously,” Bangladesh Archery Federation (BAF) president Dr Mohammad Mokhles Ur Rahman said at a press briefing at the BOA auditorium on Tuesday. 

“It is important to provide prize money so that archers are further motivated,” he added.

Prize money will be awarded in four individual events -- men’s recurve, women’s recurve, men’s compound and women’s compound. Gold medallists will receive Tk 50,000 while silver and bronze winners will earn Tk 25,000 and Tk 10,000 respectively.

“We will gradually introduce prize money for other events in the future,” Rahman said, adding that the federation also aims to invest more in archery to elevate Bangladesh’s archers to the world stage.

BAF general secretary Tanvir Ahmed informed that Bangladesh Police Archery Club will miss the championships following the dissolution of their archery committee, though most of their archers have switched to Bangladesh Ansar.

He also confirmed that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) archer Rakib Mia, the country’s second-ranked archer, will compete under the Bangladesh Archery Federation banner as BGB did not submit entries for the tournament.