International World Games Association : Archery

Sports of The World Games

Field archery, aside from being the ultimate precision sport, has much in common with the game of golf: athletes walk a designated course through forests and fields, and they shoot at their targets from varying distances.

Three different types of bows are used in field archery competitions at The World Games: the recurve, the compound and the bare bow.

The field archery competitions ...

... are shot from marked (known) and unmarked (unknown) distances ranging between 5 and 60 meters (depending on division);

... at target faces with six scoring zones;

... with target sizes and positions to be recognized by the archer;

... requiring him/her to shoot uphill and downhill, from varying shooting positions;

... since the arrow flight differs over any given distance subject to the angle of the shot, the archer must know by experience how much to add or subtract in order to counteract the effects of gravity;

... and the archer needs to be prepared for all eventualities, carefully preparing his/her equipment and clothing, as he/she is to carry everything over the course.

Generally, the Qualification Round consists of two rounds of 24 targets each; one on a marked, the other on an unmarked course. The targets are arranged along a course with such difficulties in aiming and shooting as the terrain presents, and as field archery's spirit and traditions require.

The top 16 athletes in each division move to the Elimination Round, which is the first round in World Games competition, and shoot 12 targets (6 marked and 6 unmarked). Thereafter, the top eight athletes in each division shoot again 12 targets (6 marked and 6 unmarked).

In these two rounds, a time limit of four minutes is imposed. If a judge observes that an archer is taking too long to shoot, a warning is issued. If this were to occur again, the judge would take away the archer's highest scoring arrow.

In the Finals Round, the top four athletes in each division shoot two matches consisting of four marked targets. The first-ranked athletes shoots against the fourth-ranked, and the second shoots against the third. Thereafter, the losers advance to the Bronze Medal Match, and the winners advance to the Gold Medal Match. Both matches consist of additional four marked targets. The four-minute limit is strictly imposed, and any arrow shot after the deadline is withdrawn by the judge.

Field archery at The World Games 2005

The field archery events on the Official Sports Program of The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung:

Barebow (Men, Women); Compound (Men, Women); Recurve (Men, Women)

Field archers, too, raise their bows, notch their arrows, and look for one long moment at the mark … But unlike their peers in straightforward target archery, they have exerted themselves physically before they get to take their first shot. Field archery – much like golf – has the athletes walk a set course and shoot at targets of different sizes from varying distances. No target is like the previous one; no course compares to another. In field archery, the shots are generally made more challenging through the clever use of the intervening terrain, forcing the athletes to not only estimate the distance but to allow for the slope of the ground - or to make accommodations for the incline of a tree. Other factors increasing the difficulty of the shots include the lighting: in the woods this may well imply shooting from the dark to the light or the other way round. The variety of the ever changing shooting conditions are the true challenge of field archery.

While field archery demands the same high levels of concentration from the athletes as does target archery, it is far more physical and requires an even wider spectrum of skills than the latter.

In 2005, Morgan Lundin (SWE) won the FITA World Championships in target archery as well as his field archery event (Compound, Men) of The World Games.

Field Archery