World Archery (WA, also and formerly known as FITA from the French Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc) is the governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 156 national federations and other archery associations, and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Quick Facts Abbreviation, Formation ...
World Archery
AbbreviationWA (formerly FITA)
Formation4 September 1931; 92 years ago (1931-09-04)
Founded atLwow, Poland (today Lviv, Ukraine)
TypeFederation of national associations
HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
159 national and other associations
Official language
English
President
Uğur Erdener
First Vice-president
Mario Scarzella
AffiliationsInternational Olympic Committee, International World Games Association
Websiteworldarchery.sport
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History

FITA was founded on 4 September 1931 in Lwow, Poland (today Lviv, Ukraine). Its seven founding member states were France, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Poland, the United States, Hungary, and Italy.[1] The aim of the organization was to create regular archery championships, and to return archery to the Olympic Games (the sport had not been featured since 1920). FITA was finally successful in returning archery to the Olympic program in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

To celebrate the organization's 80th anniversary in July 2011, a large majority of the FITA Congress voted to change the name from FITA to the World Archery or WA.[2]

In March 2022, in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the federation announced that no athlete, team official, or technical official from Russia or Belarus will be permitted to participate in any international archery event, their flags and anthems are banned, and no archery events would be held in the two countries.[3]

In July 2023, on the question that whether or not to re-allow athletics with Russian and/or Belarusian passports to participant international archery competitions under neutral identities, World Archery asked both national archery federations to submit personal datas for investigations, as both federations denied to complete such requirements, WA said that it's unlikely to allow neutral athletes unless once procedure can be completely followed.[4]

In December 2023, World Archery launched its own OTT Service with an Subscription Video On Demand model and live streaming of main events.[5]

Identity

Flag

Quick Facts Use, Proportion ...
World Archery
Thumb
UseSport Small  vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion3:5
Adopted1 April 2012
DesignWhite field with a WA logo
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The WA flag has a white background, with the organization's logo in the middle.[6][7]

Member associations

As of April 2019, 159 national federations and other associations are members of World Archery.[8]

  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Andorra
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • American Samoa
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Belarus
  • Bhutan
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Bulgaria
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China [zh]
  • Colombia
  • Comoros
  • Costa Rica
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • DR Congo
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • Gabon
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Great Britain
  • Greece
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong, China
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Macedonia
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • Norway
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tahiti
  • Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
  • Tajikistan
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • US Virgin Islands
  • Zimbabwe

Rankings

World Archery publishes world rankings for each category of outdoor competitive archery (men / women; recurve / compound; individual / team / mixed team), updated following every official eligible event.[9]

Each archer earns a ranking score for each competition. The ranking scores are calculated through a combination of the ranking factor of the tournament (as determined by the quality of competition, the number of competitors, and how recently the competition took place) and points based on the competitor's final position in the competition. The archer's four highest ranking scores are then combined to form their 'Added Ranking Score', which forms the basis of the ranking list.[10]

Current rankings

Current number one ranked archers

  • Updated 7 August 2024
More information Discipline, Men ...
Discipline Men Women Mens's Team Women's Team Mixed Team
Recurve  Marcus D'Almeida (BRA)  Lim Si-hyeon (KOR) South Korea South Korea South Korea South Korea South Korea South Korea
Compound  Mike Schloesser (NED)  Ella Gibson (GBR) India India India India United States United States
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[11]

Summary Championships

The following table shows the venue of all World Championships on the current World Archery programme:

Denotes inaugural event
More information Year ...
Year World Championships
Outdoor Indoor Youth Para Field University 3D
1931 Poland Lwów
1932 Poland Warsaw
1933 United Kingdom London
1934 Sweden Båstad
1935 Belgium Brussels
1936 Czechoslovakia Prague
1937 France Paris
1938 United Kingdom London
1939 Norway Oslo
1946 Sweden Stockholm
1947 Czechoslovakia Prague
1948 United Kingdom London
1949 France Paris
1950 Denmark Copenhagen
1952 Belgium Brussels
1953 Norway Oslo
1955 Finland Helsinki
1957 Czechoslovakia Prague
1958 Belgium Brussels
1959 Sweden Stockholm
1960
1961 Norway Oslo
1962
1963 Finland Helsinki
1965 Sweden Västerås
1966
1967 Netherlands Amersfoort
1968
1969 United States Valley Forge United States Valley Forge
1970
1971 United Kingdom York United Kingdom Cardiff
1973 France Grenoble
1974 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zagreb
1975 Switzerland Interlaken
1977 Australia Canberra
1979 West Germany Berlin
1981 Italy Punta Ala
1982 United Kingdom Kingsclere
1983 United States Los Angeles
1984 Finland Hyvinkää
1985 South Korea Seoul
1986 Austria Radstadt
1987 Australia Adelaide
1989 Switzerland Lausanne
1990 Norway Loen
1991 Poland Kraków Finland Oulu Norway Sandefjord
1992 Netherlands Margraten
1993 Turkey Antalya France Perpignan France Moliets-et-Maa
1994 Italy Roncegno France Vertus
1995 Indonesia Jakarta United Kingdom Birmingham
1996 United States Chula Vista Slovenia Kranjska Gora France Vaulx-en-Velin
1997 Canada Victoria Turkey Istanbul
1998 Sweden Sunne England Stoke Mandeville Austria Obergurgl Taoyuan
1999 France Riom Cuba Havana New Zealand Christchurch
2000 France Belfort Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo Spain Madrid
2001 China Beijing Italy Florence Czech Republic Nymburk
2002 Czech Republic Nymburk Australia Canberra Thailand Chonburi
2003 United States New York France Nîmes Spain Madrid France Sully-sur-Loire
2004 United Kingdom Lilleshall Croatia Plitvice Spain Madrid
2005 Spain Madrid Denmark Aalborg Italy Massa Carrara Italy Genoa
2006 Mexico Mérida Sweden Gothenburg Slovakia Viničné
2007 Germany Leipzig Turkey İzmir South Korea Cheongju Hungary Sopron
2008 Turkey Antalya United Kingdom Llwynypia Tainan
2009 South Korea Ulsan Poland Rzeszów United States Ogden Czech Republic Nymburk Italy Latina
2010 Hungary Visegrád China Shenzhen
2011 Italy Turin Poland Legnica Italy Turin Austria Donnersbach
2012 United States
Las Vegas
2013 Turkey Belek China Wuxi Thailand Bangkok Italy Sassari
2014 France
Nîmes
2015 Denmark Copenhagen United States Yankton Germany Donaueschingen Italy Terni
2016 Turkey
Ankara
2017 Mexico Mexico City Argentina Rosario China Beijing Poland Wrocław
2018 United States
Yankton
2019 Netherlands 's-Hertogenbosch Spain Madrid Netherlands 's-Hertogenbosch Canada Lac La Biche
2021 United States Yankton Poland Wrocław United States Yankton
2022 United Arab Emirates Dubai Italy Terni
2023 Germany Berlin Republic of Ireland Limerick Czech Republic Plzeň
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Events

Summer Olympics

Thumb
Sharon Vennard and Yan Huilian at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Thumb
Some targets and a windsock at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

Archery was first competed at the Summer Olympic Games in 1900 and, after a long hiatus from 1924, became a regular event from 1972. Team events were added in 1988. Recurve archery is currently the only discipline competed at the Olympics.

Archery is also competed at the Summer Paralympics (recurve and compound disciplines), the Youth Olympic Games (recurve only), and the World Games (Field archery only).

World Championships

FITA began holding Target World Championships in 1931. They were held every year until 1959, when the Championships became biennial events. 1959 was also the first year that FITA held the World Field Championship.

Presently, there are five principal formats of the World Archery Championships: Outdoor, Indoor, Youth, Para-Archery, and Field. Each is held every two years on different rotations. World Championships are also held every two years in 3D archery and University sport. In 2007, a ski archery World Championships was held in Moscow; this is yet to be repeated and is not included in the current rotation.[12]

More information Number, Events ...
NumberEventsFirstLast
1World Outdoor Target Championships19312019 (50th)
2World Indoor Target Championships19912018 (14th)
3World Field Archery Championships19692018 (26th)
4World 3D Archery Championships20032019 (9th)
5World Ski Archery Championships19992017 (10th)
6World Para Archery Championships19982019 (12th)
7World Youth Archery Championships19912019 (16th)
8World University Archery Championships19962016 (11th)
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World Cup

The Archery World Cup is an annual event that was inaugurated in 2006. It is designed to present archery in 'spectacular' locations.[13]

The format consists of 4 rounds competed across the world during a calendar year. The best individual and mixed team performers across these rounds are then invited to compete in the World Cup Final at the end of the year.[14]

An indoor World Cup, competed in 3 rounds with a final during the winter season, was inaugurated in the 2010–11 season.

Other

Archery is an optional sport at the Universiade and the Commonwealth Games.

Current champions

The following archers are the current champions of the major World Archery Federation events:

More information Discipline, Event ...
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Presidents

More information Period, Name ...
PeriodNameCountry
1931Mieczysław Fularski Poland
1931 – 1939Bronisław Pierzchała Poland
1946 – 1949Paul Demare France
1949 – 1957Henry Kjellson Sweden
1957 – 1961Oscar Kessels Belgium
1961 – 1977Inger Kristine Frith United Kingdom
1977 – 1989Francesco Gnecchi-Ruscone Italy
1989 – 2005James L. Easton United States
2005 –Uğur Erdener Turkey
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See also

References

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