As soon as one enters the portals of Army Sports Institute (ASI) at Pune, a board which reads "Winning Medals is a Habit With Us"–greets you. True, the institute has been on a winning spree by notching up many a medal. The latest has been won by 19-year old Nb Sub Tarundeep Rai at the 42nd World Archery Championship in New York. This success qualified Rai for the Athens Olympics. He is the first sportsman from the institute to make a foray into the Olympics. Scoring 1288 points, Nb Sub Rai proved that the training he received at the institute has put him in good stead in New York. He was placed 33rd among 580 archers from more than 80 countries.

A brainchild of the former Chief of the Army Staff, Gen S Padmanabhan (Retd), Army Sports Institute was established on July 1, 2001. The institute imparts training in archery, athletics, boxing, diving and weightlifting. Training is given by coaches from the professional world, Army and qualified physical trainers of National Institute of Sports (NIS). They are backed by a team of specialists in sports medicine, psychology, bio-mechanics and nutrition.

Catch them young, goes the saying. Therefore, selection of budding talent is the first goal of ASI. A talent-scouting team scours various state and national competitions for the potential candidates. The candidates undergo a series of tests in expertise, bio-mechanics and psychology before they are finally selected. Subsequently, they are recruited into the Indian Army for training at ASI. Later, a six-month performance evaluation system ensures that the sportsmen remain on their toes, to improve their performance.

An ultra-modern sports complex is scheduled to come up at Pune very soon. The complex will house the best infrastructure. The facilities at the institute will be extended to women in immediate future. About 60 women will be given training in archery, athletics and weightlifting.