Archery
Archery is shooting arrows at a target of ten rings, scoring 10 at the centre down to 1 at the edge. A qualification round ranks the field (72 arrows outdoors), and matches decide the medals: recurve and barebow matches use sets of three arrows, the first to 6 set points winning. The divisions are the bow types: recurve, compound and barebow.
New to archery? Start here
How long
Matches of three-arrow sets, first to 6 set points; 20 seconds an arrow
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1Olympic Games (archery)The title archery is measured by.Every 4 years · Holder: 5 events, all won by South Korea
- 2World Archery ChampionshipsThe world title for recurve and compound.Every 2 years, odd years (Gwangju 2025; Medellin 2027) · Holder: 10 events
- 3Archery World Cup and FinalA season of stages ending in a Final for the best archers.Yearly · Holder: Dhiraj Bommadevara won the men's recurve
- 4Asian Games (archery)Asia's multi-sport title; for India often the most reachable major medal.Every 4 years · Holder: 10 events; India won 5 golds
India
- Archery at the Olympic Games: No medal; best result fourth, mixed team, Paris 2024
- World Archery Championships: 17 medals: 4 gold, 10 silver, 3 bronze (all-time outdoor table)
- Archery World Cup Final: 14 medals at the Final: 2 gold (Dola Banerjee, 2007; Dhiraj Bommadevara, 2026), 9 silver, 3 bronze
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- IndiaArchery World Cup Final: 2 golds, 9 silvers, 3 bronzes (latest 2026); Archery at the Asian Games: 11 golds, 8 silvers, 9 bronzes (latest 2026)
- South KoreaArchery at the Olympic Games: 32 golds, 10 silvers, 8 bronzes (latest 2024); Archery at the Asian Games: 49 golds, 32 silvers, 22 bronzes (latest 2026)
- United StatesArchery at the Olympic Games: 14 golds, 11 silvers, 10 bronzes (latest 2024); Archery World Cup Final: 24 golds, 14 silvers, 12 bronzes (latest 2026)
- BelgiumArchery at the Olympic Games: 11 golds, 7 silvers, 3 bronzes (latest 1920)
- FranceArchery at the Olympic Games: 7 golds, 12 silvers, 8 bronzes (latest 2024); Archery World Cup Final: 1 gold, 4 silvers, 8 bronzes (latest 2025)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | World Archery, Rulebook, Book 3: Target Archery, version of 27 January 2026 |
| International federation | World Archery |
| In India | Archery Association of India (AAI): recognised, on the MYAS list for 2026 |
Where and when it is played
On a field, from one shooting line at a row of targets: adults shoot recurve at 70 metres and compound and barebow at 50, and everyone at 18 metres indoors. The big events: the Olympic Games every four years (recurve), the World Archery Championships every two years and the Archery World Cup and its Final every year.