22nd Jul 2014                   the day before Phuentsholing league ended on 22nd Jul, Tashi Dhendup of Meri Construction added 12 kareys to his two match total of 30 kareys, securing the top position among the 1500 archers that are participating in the ongoing 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament with his league total of 42 kareys. The next best total is of Yeshi Dorji from Paro team Ananpanan who has 41 kareys. The Thimphu Phaka’s Phub Dorji (playing his third match on 28th Jul) has the best chance to overcome the total. Phub Dorji has already 33 kareys from 2 matches. Read more…

18th Jul 2014              at the end of the 8th day of the tournament, much has happened. Some of the leagues (in different regions) of the ongoing 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament has been completed. Some individual players and then teams are shining and have already booked their place in the eliminations at Thimphu Changlimithang.

From Bumthang, Laya Tours and Chithuen Charos are coming to the Changlimithang. Laya Tours have hit total of 123 kareys – the 2nd highest so far in the tournament. Only team Ananpanan from Paro has the higher total of 135 kareys. While Ananpanan have played all of their 3 league matches, the Paro’s league will go on till July 26 to have other teams complete all of the three league matches, that a participating teams gets to play in the tournament. Read more…

12th Jul 2014             the start of the 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament is seeing high performances, some being displayed, as expected, by the big names while few unknown archers are rising to get noticed. The 11th July start of the tournament saw 2008 Champion Gem Tshering hit 14 kareys in Paro match. He is leading team Jatsha Const. The same day, Jigme Norbu (team Druk Lhayul Const.) who has the highest per match average of 13.6 (from last year’s tournament) hit 13 kareys. These names are well known. 

But not many take Phub Dorji’s name while talking about the Gem Tshering or Jigme Norbu. Phub Dorji is better known for his Tshering Metog TV series and the studio with Read more…

Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, and every village has it own archery range. competitions, usually accompanied by a banquet, are a part of all festive occasions. Using bamboo bows (although modern compound bows are finding their way into the kingdom) teams of archers shoot at targets only 30 centimetres in diameter from a distance of 120 metres. Each team has a noisy crowd of supporters who, as well as encouraging their own side and try to out off the opposition. The game of archery is not exactly a sport that draws frenzied supporters out for a kill. There are no die-hard fans and no follow-the-team-to-kingdom-come fanatics. And no streaking hooligans.If anyone is all pumped up, it is the archers themselves… To the Bhutanese, it’s a tourist sport and a very saleable one at that too. It has tremendous tourist appeal. Archery is tradition; it’s songs and dances and jeers and near-primitive howls. It’s the works to someone seeking the unusual. All that could be just a facade. Read more…

The moment he drew his bowstring pointed his arrow toward the target and took aim, it made the opponent archers jittery.They knew he was a sure shot.

Acquiring skills unparalleled by many of his contemporaries, 72 year old Sha Bodhi, from Sha Phayul in Wangduephodrang, was always a name reckoned with on the archery range .He was a famous sharp shooter who hit the target with much calculated accuracy. Read more…