Compound is officially being considered for inclusion alongside the current recurve events on the sports programme of the LA28 Olympic Games.
The proposal from World Archery is for an additional indoor archery competition for men, women and mixed teams that would last approximately three days, shorter than the current nine-day Olympic schedule.
Competing over 18 metres and indoors, in comparison to the 70-metre outdoor recurve format, would clearly differentiate the two events while building on the successful professional indoor archery circuit that is already well-established in the USA, the host nation of the next Games after Paris 2024.
The request will now be assessed by the International Olympic Committee, alongside submissions from other sports, before a final decision is made.
Compound is a modern bowstyle invented in the 1960s that uses a system of pulleys and cables, along with release aids and magnified scopes, to increase the bow’s speed and accuracy. Compound competition emphasises precision, tension and perfection.
It has featured at the World Archery Championships since 1995 and on the Hyundai Archery World Cup since its launch in 2006. Compound is now also included on the sports programmes of the Asian Games, European Games, Pan American Games, World Games and World University Games.
Colombia’s Sara Lopez and the Netherlands’ Mike Schloesser are the current compound women’s and men’s world number ones.
Archery is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its return to the Olympics in 2022. The sport featured on the programme of the Games in 1900-1908 and 1920 before taking a 52-year hiatus until 1972.
The number of available medals has since risen from two to five with the introduction of recurve team competitions – and mixed team at Tokyo 2020.
World Archery secretary general Tom Dielen said:
“For nearly 30 years, compound and recurve have been treated equally within the sport of archery, while World Archery has invested considerable resources in developing the discipline at grassroots and elite levels worldwide.”
“Compound is now an important event, alongside recurve, in many major continental and regional Games as well as the World Games. We have seen phenomenal growth in participation and results, particularly from female athletes, and particularly in countries with aspiring sporting legacies like India, Colombia and Mexico.”
“The compound bow was born in the USA in the 1960s. Millions of people across the Americas, and the world, shoot a compound bow each year. With the Games returning to Los Angeles, we see no better opportunity to put compound forward for Olympic inclusion.”