Los Angeles 2028 will see the first-ever olympic medals for compound archery as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) announced on Wednesday that mixed-team event will be added to the archery program in LA. For the compound archery community it marks an historic milestone.
Since archery’s re-inclusion in the Olympics programme in Munich 1972, this is the first time a new bow-style is being added.
This will be the sixth event in archery in addition to the existing five recurve events — men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team and mixed-team.
World Archery president, Prof Dr Uger Erdener, said: “This is a monumental step forward for the sport for millions of compound archers who have sought Olympics recognition.”
“I am deeply proud of the work of the whole archery community, and our athletes, who have helped make this a reality,” added Prof Erdener.
From the Indian perspective, it is a welcome move. India currently boast a strong compound archery pool, with names like Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Ojas Pravin Deotale, Aditi Gopichand Swami, Abhishek Verma to name a few.
In the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Indian archery contingent won nine medals, including five gold medals — all five from the compound teams.