Para Archery

General Rules

Classifications

 

The sport has three divisions:-

• Recurve bow
• Compound Bow
• Visually Impaired Class.

 

The athletes are classified within these divisions on the basis of the level of impairments:-

 

ARW1- (also termed as W1). Archery Wheelchair 1. This class is for the athletes with impairment in arms and legs.

 

ARW2- (also termed as W2). Archery Wheelchair 2. It is for athletes with impairment in legs who compete on a wheelchair and have relatively limited lower limb functions.

 

Visually Impaired- (V1, V2 and V3)- For visually impaired athletes. Those classified under V1 must wear blindfolds or blackout glasses while competing. This class is however is currently not featured in the Paralympic Games.

 

ARST- (ST). Standing Archery. They may compete standing or in a wheelchair, but have limited impairment

 

Helping devices must be authorized by an international classifier and should be mentioned on the athlete’s classification card. These include:-

 

• Wheelchair
• Chair/Stool
• Block
• Permitted body support
• Prosthesis
• Release aid
• Bow bandage
• Bow arm splint
• String arm wrist splint
• Assistant
• The athletes who are visually impaired and are classified in the VI division must wear a blindfold for vision impairment equality.

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Officials

Judges

 

They are the technical officials in the sport of archery who are responsible for fair competition in the field. Fair performance of athletes and fair conduct of the competition are also the duties of the judges that they need to take care of.

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Events

Individual

Both men and women participate.

 

Teams

There are separate & mixed team competitions for both the genders.

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Techniques

General Techniques

Some techniques may vary but there are general techniques that every archer practices they are as follows:-

 

Proper Stance- Line-up, so that the feet or the stool or wheelchair on which the athlete is sitting or standing must be in a line towards the target.

 

Put the arrow in the bow- Put the arrow in the arrow rest that is the part of the bow. Then place the bowstring into the nock which is the slotted portion on the back of an arrow.

 

Grip the string- The grip must be loose. Typically, fingers are used to hold the string but the archers with amputation of the hand hold it with the help of their mouth or any aid that is permitted.

 

Draw the bow- Raise the bow and then draw it.

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Participants

Male and female athletes with physical disabilities (defined as per the IPC) can compete in the following divisions:-

 

• Recurve bow

• Compound bow

• Visually Impaired

• There are open, standing, and wheelchair classes with in these divisions.

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Playing Area

The distance between the standing point and the target is same as for the able-bodied athletes i.e. 70 meters with the exception for visually impaired division.

General History

Archery was presented in 1946 as a type of recovery process for war veterans with spinal wounds from World War II.

 

The primary archery rivalry for those with physical disabilities was held at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948 in Great Britain. Amid those days, the rounds shot were the St Nicholas Round for rookies and novices (48 arrows from 36.6m away, and 36 arrows from 27.4m away) and the Albion Round for professional archers (36 arrows from 73.2m, 54.9m and 45.7m away).

 

Para-Archery was one of the eight games at the Rome 1960 Paralympic Games. Specialists surveyed competitors and gave them a class, which they at that point took part in.

 

The 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain, included competitors with hindrances/disabilities past spinal injuries.

 

The 1998 FITA (French International de Tir à l'Arc) World Championships directed the game's exclusive classification system framework, which is utilised today. The game developed with world and territorial Championships as single sport events, and has kept on staying in the Paralympic program.

 

On 1 January 2009, para-archery began the move from the International Paralympic Committee to FITA, and the procedure was finished at the FITA Congress that year. This converted para-archery as a recovery device in 1946 to a thoroughly sport specific organisation today. World Archery is the game's administering body.