Bow International is the world's only specialist target archery print magazine, and within each issue you'll find news and reviews, new gear, technique, advice and tips; plus exclusive interviews from the world's greatest archers.
So barely a few months after we explored the apparent kiboshing of compound’s Olympic hopes for 2028 (in Bow 160), World Archery threw a spanner in the works by unexpectedly announcing that an application had been made to include compound as an event for the Games in Los Angeles. Of the several scenarios possible, it appears it has pitched an indoor competition featuring the top 16 men and women in the world, most likely to be held in the shooting venue after the conclusion of the shooting events. A confirmation of whether a compound event will be held will likely appear sometime next year. World Archery is keeping quiet for now about the slightly unexpected change in direction, but perhaps something has shifted behind the scenes in LA or Lausanne…
Compound is formally being considered for inclusion on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games sports schedule, alongside recurve. The World Archery proposal calls for an additional indoor competition for men, women and mixed teams that would run roughly three days and be shorter than the nine-day Olympic schedule currently in place. It is thought, but not confirmed, that this event will take place in the same venue used for rifle and pistol shooting. Building on the professional indoor archery circuit that is already well established in the USA, the host country of the next Games after Paris 2024, competition over 18m inside would clearly differentiate the two events from the 70m outdoor recurve format. The event will have a focus on “precision, tension and perfection.” Before making a judgement, the…
A group of more than 120 organisations, including Archery GB, is working with Sport England to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country. Archery GB will receive expertise, support and an investment of £1,651,760 of Government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to deliver the aims of what is called the Uniting the Movement strategy. Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active, including women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. The money will be invested in a number of projects at Archery GB, including the programme supporting activity centres that teach individuals how to shoot. In order to create more possibilities for people to participate in archery, it will also support…
Hazel Taylor and David Phillips took home a silver medal from the mixed team recurve competition in the first leg of the Para Archery European Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic in July. Phillips claimed bronze in the men’s team final with Cameron Radigan, beating Thailand 5-1. “It’s more exciting that the whole team is coming home with at least one medal each. I’m truly honoured to be a part of something so special,” said Phillips. Victoria Kingstone and Martin Saych faced the team from Czech Republic in the W1 open mixed team gold match. Victoria and Martin finished on 130-137 to come away with the silver. “It feels wonderful to have won my first ever medal with Martin. The fact that everyone medalled today is testament to the hard…
After a successful Run Archery test event in the UK, a second opportunity is being planned for 11 September in Birmingham. A trial run of Run Archery was organised by Archery GB in April, bringing together a small group of archers in Newark. As the name suggests, it is a shooting sport that combines running with archery, similar to biathlon. It offers a different archery experience that it is hoped might aid the sport in retaining and attracting both archers and runners. Shooting takes place over 18m, with archers carrying the bow either in their hands or in a harness. Recurve bows are used and the draw weight is limited to 35lb maximum. This second pilot event will introduce the ‘sprint’ version of the sport. To grow the discipline’s popularity…
I was invited to visit the Olympic national team training grounds on their range, adjacent to the Wingate Institute, situated in the coastal city of Netanya, near Tel Aviv. It was great to catch up with the newly appointed national coach, Richard Priestman, and his new team. Israel had just returned from the European Championships in Munich, to catch up on a few days of practice before flying out to the World Cup in Paris. I was also fortunate to meet and speak to a very busy Guy Matzkin, perhaps the best-known figure in Israeli archery. Guy’s main professional activity within the sport is now focused on psychology, and he is currently working on a book addressing the psychological demands of archery. Watch this space – it should be very…
