Nearly 3000 archers from around 80 countries are registered to compete.
The 2021 Indoor Archery World Series is set to start in a day – and not in just one location but simultaneously around the world. More than 2800 recurve, compound and barebow archers are registered to submit a result online.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, new rules were introduced for this year’s indoor circuit. Archers can shoot their 60-arrow 18-metre round anywhere over the weekend of 21-22 November 2020 to participate in stage one. Scores will be displayed live, as they’re submitted, on the World Archery website.
There will also be remote events in December, January and February and a worldwide open ranking will list every single archer who takes part.
We’re also hosting a small invitational event at PH Archery in Wohlen, Switzerland – with finals streamed live across World Archery’s YouTube and Facebook platforms starting at 16h00 CET on Sunday 22 November. Among those taking part is reigning Indoor Archery World Series Champion and world number two, Mike Schloesser.
Read on for more about what’s coming this weekend.
Online Event
Scores are being submitted in three timezones: Asia/Oceania (UTC+8), Europe/Africa (UTC+1) and the Americas (UTC-5). The competition is open from 08h00 on Saturday 21 November and closes at Sunday 22 November 2020 in each timezone.
Archers can send in their results live – and will confirm them with pictures of their scorecard and target if shooting at an unofficial venue. Those participating at a registered tournament must score in the application but do not need to provide proof.
Results will be available to view online as they are submitted.
This competition is simple – it’s just 60 arrows at 18 metres, shot at a target face that’s 40 centimetres in diameter. The 10-ring for compound archers is two centimetres and for recurve archers is four centimetres in diameter. (Archers can use single spot, vertical triple spot or triangular triple spot targets.)
The maximum available score is 600 points.
Many well-known international athletes are taking part. We’ve picked out a few archers with results worth looking out for as this weekend’s competition progresses.
Recurve men: Thomas Chirault, France; Nicholas D’Amour, US Virgin Islands; Michele Frangilli, Italy; Mete Gazoz, Turkey; Ku Bonchan, Korea; Viktor Ruban, Ukraine and Steve Wijler, Netherlands.
Recurve women: Christine Bjerendal, Sweden; Taru Kuoppa, Finland; Ana Maria Rendon, Colombia; Aida Roman, Mexico; Lisa Unruh, Germany and Alejandra Valencia, Mexico.
Compound men: Domagoj Buden, Croatia; Martin Damsbo, PJ Deloche, France; Denmark; Kim Jongho, Korea; Danie Oosthuizen, Australia and Seb Peineau, France.
Compound women: Jane Karla Gogel, Brazil; Amanda Mlinaric, Croatia; Sarah Prieels, Belgium; Alexis Ruiz, USA; Alexandra Savenkova, Russia and Marcella Tonioli, Italy.
Barebow men: Fredrik Lundmark, Sweden; Erik Jonsson, Sweden and Ignacio Tobar, Chile.
Barebow women: Lina Bjorklund, Sweden; Cinzia Noziglia, Italy and Sarah Twomey, Ireland.
If you’re taking part this weekend, share your stories on social media using the hashtags #archery, #IndoorWorldSeries and #BacktoArchery.
Wohlen Invitational
Sixteen archers, eight recurves and eight compounds, will shoot their scores for stage one at our invitational tournament in Wohlen, Switzerland. Athletes from four travelling countries – France, Sweden, Estonia and the Netherlands – join the home nation of Switzerland in our line-up.
Following the 60-arrow 18-metre round that will count towards the Indoor Archery World Series open ranking, we’ll be having a small matchplay event. There’s a 3400 CHF prize pot, with 500 CHF going to the winner of each category, and the finals will be streamed live across World Archery’s digital platforms.
PH Archery, a shop based in Zurich and run by Swiss compound archer Patrizio Hofer, is hosting the event and we‘ll be observing strict local health guidelines to ensure everyone the well-being of everyone on site.
Wohlen Line-up
World ranking given in brackets. (World ranking frozen since early 2020.)
Recurve men: Pierre Plihon, France (14); Florian Faber, Switzerland (60); Thomas Rufer, Switzerland (174) and Valentin Choffat, Switzerland (750).
Plihon is an Olympian from Rio 2016 and has been a regular member of the French squad on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit since 2014. Faber and Rufer are experienced internationals for Switzerland.
Recurve women: Gaby Schloesser, Netherlands (15); Erika Jangnas, Sweden (186); Valentine de Giuli, Switzerland (362) and Maxine Pichonnaz, Switzerland (593).
Schloesser (née Bayardo) qualified the Netherlands’ its first women’s place to the Olympic Games – for Tokyo 2020 – in over two decades with her bronze medal finish at the European Games in Minsk in 2019.
Compound men: Mike Schloesser, Netherlands (2); Patrizio Hofer, Switzerland (81); Roman Haefelfinger, Switzerland (125) and Robin Jaatma, Estonia (126).
Reigning Indoor Archery World Series and Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion Mike Schloesser is the presumptive favourite at almost every event he attends. Hofer was ranked fourth in the world at the height of his career.
Compound women: Meeri-Marita Paas, Estonia (65); Lisell Jaatma, Estonia (69); Clementine de Giuli, Switzerland (359) and Anne-Marie Studer, Switzerland (not ranked).
Runner-up at the Indoor Archery World Series Final in 2020, Jaatma’s world ranking belies her talent. This was to be her season. The 21-year-old was poised for a break-out year on the outdoor circuit in 2021 when the pandemic hit.
What’s next?
The second remote stage of the 2021 Indoor Archery World Series will take place on 19-20 December 2020 and be accompanied by an invitational event, again run in Switzerland. Entries for the online tournament are now open through OpenWAREOS.
Read more about how the circuit works, how clubs can participate or follow scores from stage one online.
The 2021 Indoor Archery World Series is a mass-participation circuit of live and online archery tournaments.
