New Delhi: American coach Dave Cousins, who guided India’s compound archers to a historic Olympic quota at the 2026 Asian Games, reportedly threatened to quit after remaining unpaid for more than three months.
However, the Archery Association of India (AAI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said the delay was due to a technical issue with the bank and confirmed that the matter had been resolved.
According to a PTI report, Cousins, 49, was unhappy with the prolonged delay in receiving his salary and had threatened to leave India if the payment was not made.
A former world No. 1 in compound archery, Cousins was appointed India’s chief compound coach in May to prepare the team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He replaced Sergio Pagni, under whose guidance India won all five archery gold medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Cousins’ appointment was part of India’s preparations to strengthen its compound archery programme ahead of the 2028 Olympics. His reported dissatisfaction over the salary delay, however, raised questions about the administrative challenges surrounding the support staff tasked with preparing India’s archers for the global event.
While the AAI and SAI maintained that the payment issue had been resolved, the episode highlighted the importance of ensuring timely financial support for coaches as India builds towards the Los Angeles Olympics.
