Now that the epic showcase of archery talent from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has concluded, the archery world begins training for next year. Inspired by historic performances from countries like South Korea and Iran, veteran competitors have been given new reasons to pick up their archery equipment again. Meanwhile, a gathering of young hopefuls receiving their first pieces of archery equipment prepare to start their own paths to greatness. For readers who want to follow the stories of these archers as they compete for the podium, this is a list of major events to follow in 2022, listed in order of the calendar:
February 18-27, 2022 – Dubai 2022 World Archery Para Championships
The World Archery Para Championships started in 1998, with the inaugural competition held in the United Kingdom (Britain). Taking place every two years, the event has moved all across the world over the last couple of decades, from Madrid, Spain to Beijing, China. This year the competition will travel to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, a locale known worldwide for its wonderful views and amenities. This competition will feature the Recurve Standing Open, Compound Open, and Wheelchair/Visual Impairment archery competitions.
June 26 – July 7, 2022 – Chengdu 2021 Summer World University Games
Like 2020’s Olympics – which were concluded in 2021 – the date in this event is a misnomer, meant to signify when it should have happened before it was postponed. The games began in 1959 by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The archery component has seen a resurgence lately, as overall popularity in the sport has grown and more events are televised. In these multi-sport games, the archery events will take place from June 29 to July 3 at the Shuangliu Modern Pentathlon Centre Equestrian Arena. Events are for individual recurve and compound bows, for men and women, respectively.
July 7-17, 2022 – The World Games
The World Games are another multi-sport competition with participants at or around the level of World Champions, so they’re a great place to follow the top archers. These games started in 1981 in Santa Clara, California, and have occurred every four years since. This year’s games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama in the US. The archery competition runs from July 8-15, with events for the recurve bow, the compound bow, and the barebow. The competitions use field and target archery equipment, in men’s, women’s and team formats. Fans will enjoy the beautiful waterways and pristine woods of Avondale Park in Birmingham as they watch these archers compete for worldwide prestige.
September 10-25 – Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games
Since shortly after its inception in 1951, the Asian Games have always been a big draw in the world of competitive archery. Asian archers are always among the best in the world, so this competition is a great way to discover up-and-coming archers from places like South Korea and India as they start their march toward the next Olympics. Like the Olympics, only the recurve bow is used as archery gear in the Asian Games; and unlike some other competitions, archers have the opportunity to set official world records in this competition.
These are the most prominent international archery events happening in 2022. Be sure to mark your calendars so you can follow along!
