Royal College’s foray into archery Aiming for Olympic Heights

The Royal College team at the Uva Heesara Archery Tournament (from left to right second row) Caiu Perera, Madu Jayathilake, Nissanka Chandrasinghe, Leyaketally Tayabally (head coach), Aneesh Polonowita; (first row) Ikitha Devapriya, Yuvein Samaraweera, Sakith Dehigahalanda, Dewmilla Wijerathne, Yumeth Mapa

By Allaam Ousman 

Royal College, Colombo, one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent sporting institutions, has added a new feather to its cap with the introduction of archery — a sport with Olympic pedigree and untapped potential in the country. Though archery was introduced at Royal only last year, the fledgling team has already made its mark, producing the school’s first-ever medal within months of its debut.

Explaining the background, Manju Ariyarathna, former Chairman of the Archery Management Committee of the Royal College Union (RCU), noted how the initiative took shape.

“The Royal College Union appoints management and advisory committees for respective sports, and that’s how we support schoolchildren to develop their skills and performance. For archery, we only introduced the sport last year. Coach Ally, being a Royalist, volunteered to coach free of charge and was generous enough to provide his own facilities, equipment, and coaching assistance to College for about a year. That gave us the opportunity to develop interest among the kids, get them into competitions, and see how the sport takes off.”

Though Royal is a late entrant compared to schools like Ananda, S. Thomas’, and Maliyadeva, the progress has been rapid. Currently, 18 archers train regularly, with entry starting from Grade 5 at ages 10–11.

The breakthrough came when Aneesh Polonowita, grandson of All Ceylon cricket legend Anuruddha Polonowita, won a silver medal at 30 metres in the under-21 category — just seven months after taking up the sport.

Left to right: Kusal Abeysinghe, Caiu Perera, Aneesh Polonowita, Leyaketally Tayabally (head coach) at Royal College cricket grounds

“That was Royal’s very first medal in archery, which is a huge achievement,” Ariyarathna said. “Aneesh has natural talent and strength, and though he is recovering from an injury now, his potential is very high.”

The driving force behind Royal’s archery programme is Leyaketally Tayabally, head of the Maitland Archery Academy and one of Sri Lanka’s most experienced coaches.

“Maitland Archery Academy has been running for six years, and we officially coach Royal College and Asian International School. Already, Royal has three qualified coaches — certified by World Archery — dedicated to its archers, which is a big advantage,” he explained.

But he highlighted the challenges the sport faces in the country.

“Archery has great potential in Sri Lanka, but it’s an expensive sport. Equipment is costly, and with import duties and freight, you pay about 40% extra. The other big problem is the lack of tournaments. Ideally, we should have five to six tournaments every year, but right now there are very few — mostly private ones. The National Association holds only the Nationals once a year, which is simply not enough.”

Coach Ali also pointed out that with compound archery now included in the Olympic Games, Sri Lanka has a real chance to compete internationally. “If the sport is properly developed, we can aim for medals at the South Asian Games and beyond.”

For the boys at Royal, archery is fast becoming a sport of choice.

Caiu Perera, one of the senior archers, recalled the beginnings: “We started archery at Royal in 2023 when I was in Grade 9. At first there were only five of us, but now we have nearly 20, and it’s still growing. I used to do rowing, but now I focus fully on archery. Right now, I shoot at 60 metres, and by the next Nationals I hope to compete at 70 metres. My cousin Anish de Chickera who captained S. Thomas’ archery team, was a big inspiration for me.”
Zainul Althaf Ammar, another promising archer, is equally enthusiastic.

Students enthusiastically watching a demonstration of archery

“I compete in the under-17 and under-21 categories, shooting mainly at 30 metres. The training is challenging but rewarding, and being part of this new sport at Royal feels exciting. With tournaments coming up, I’m motivated to keep improving.”

With a pool of 18 archers and growing, Royal is now eyeing an even bigger stage. Plans are underway to build a dedicated range at College and to launch an annual Royal Archery Tournament to popularise the sport among schools.

“With 8,400 students at Royal, we’re confident of producing top-level archers if we generate awareness and interest,” Ariyarathna emphasised. “Archery is about competing with yourself, improving your own score. It’s a sport where Sri Lanka has genuine potential to shine, regionally and globally.”

Coach Ali agreed: “The talent is there. What we need is structured support, more tournaments, and better facilities. If that happens, Sri Lanka can achieve at the highest level.”

Archery may still be in its infancy at Royal College and within Sri Lanka’s schools, but its potential is undeniable. With committed coaches, enthusiastic students, and the backing of the Royal College Union, the sport is finding strong roots. If nurtured properly, it could not only produce national champions but also put Sri Lanka on the map in an Olympic discipline where the country has every chance to excel.