Jamshedpur, Feb. 22: The onus of winning medals for some competing states during the 26th Senior National (Indian Round) Archery Championship is set to rest on the talented Manipuri archers.

The meet kicks off at the JRD Tata Sports Complex tomorrow.

More than 10 participating states and units, including Assam Rifles, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Assam Regiment, Sikkim, Nagaland and Assam, have ?hired? Manipuri archers in their squad to boost prospects of winning medals in the meet being organised by the Jharkhand Archery Association (JAA).

Manipuri archers, who do not get a slot in their state team, are hired by other states.

Needless to say, the archers from Manipur are the best when it comes to hitting the bullseye with traditional bows.

The Manipur girls? team is also the reigning champion of the Senior National (Indian Round) Archery Championship, while the boys? outfit finished runner-up in the last meet held at Ernakulam.

JAA secretary Sanjeeva Singh said the actual number of Manipuri archers hired by other states would be known tomorrow, after the participating teams reach here.

?But they have been selected by other states for winning medals. They are best in Indian round of competition,? he added.

Michael Sharma, the coach of Assam Rifles, said that there is no dearth of prodigious archers in Manipur.

?But every archer cannot be selected in the state outfit. Archers who fail to get a slot in the state team are ?hired? by other states who are competing in the national archery circuit,? Sharma, a Manipuri, added.

The 28-year-old Sharma, who is based in Imphal, said that officials and coaches of other states come to Manipur to scout for archers and they do not return empty handed.

?Sometimes they become confused about whom to pick and whom to leave out. But they generally select archers keeping in mind their track record,? he added.