The 10th edition of the Archery World Cup is set to get underway tomorrow in Shanghai ©Getty Images

The 10th edition of the Archery World Cup is set to get underway tomorrow as Shanghai plays host to the opening stage of the season.

Following six days of competition in the Chinese city, the World Cup is due to move to Antalya, Turkey, from May 26 to 31, Wroclaw, Poland, from August 11 to 16, and Medellin, Colombia, from September 8 to 13, before the final in Mexico City on October 24 and 25.

It’s the third and last time that Shanghai, Antalya, Wroclaw and Medellin will host the initial quartet of stages, with Wroclaw due to drop off the calendar next year as the circuit is condensed for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

France's Sebastien Peineau and South Korea's Bomin Choi claimed the respective men's and women's compound individual titles in Shanghai last year, while Japan's Hideki Kikuchi and Germany's Elena Richter took the recurve crowns. 

“There is a real sense of excitement building ahead of this year‘s Archery World Cup season,” said World Archery President Uğur Erdener.

“Every year brings something unique but this year is particularly special as it is the 10th anniversary of the Archery World Cup, a project we began in 2006 as part of our first Archery World Plan.

“That strategy, which aimed to make archery an important Olympic sport, was a resounding success.

“Now in the second phase of our World Archery Plan, the Archery World Cup continues to be an integral part of our organisation’s efforts to grow the sport in our 156 Member Federations worldwide.”

The Shanghai stage of the Archery World Cup is often played out in wet conditions
The Shanghai stage of the Archery World Cup is often played out in wet conditions ©Getty Images

Despite overseeing an improvement in the standard of archery at international level and an increase in participation since taking up the Presidential hotseat in 2005, Erdener is refusing to rest on his laurels.

“We are very proud of what we have achieved, particularly over the last 10 years, but we know we can do more,” he said.  

“Continued innovation, new technologies and fine-tuning of our competition formats will ensure our sport remains surprising, relevant and attractive to fans.”

The 2015 campaign takes on added significance with the World Archery Championships, scheduled to take place in Copenhagen from July 26 to August 2, acting as the main Olympic qualifying tournament for Rio 2016. 

The Championships has received a record 647 preliminary entries representing 94 nations to date, making it the largest World Archery Championships ever.

The 2011 edition in Turin, which included the London 2012 Olympic Games primary quota tournament, attracted 562 athletes from 84 countries.

“The start of the Road to Rio in Copenhagen is added motivation for our athletes over the course of 2015,” added Erdener.

“As we continue to see more and more young talent coming into the sport, driving the level of our athletes up, the competition for Olympic quota places will be fierce.”


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