Paris 2024: Introduction to Para archery

Welcome to Paralympic Sport Weeks!

Every week, we will take a close look at one of the 22 sports on the Paris 2024 programme and share everything you need to know ahead of the Paralympics.

We will start with Para archery. Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows at a target to score points.

Brief history of Para archery

Para archery has been part of the Paralympic sport programme since the inaugural Games in Rome in 1960. But the history of the sport itself goes back even further.

Dr. Ludwig Guttman, who is known as the founder of the Paralympic Movement, used archery as a rehabilitation activity for injured veterans at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain in 1940. Eight years later, 16 people participated in the first archery tournament at the hospital, known as the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games.

The sport has become more than a recreational activity and grown in both participation size and level. At the Rome 1960 Paralympics, 19 athletes from eight countries competed across eight medal events.

Fifty-one years later, 139 athletes from 42 National Paralympic Committees participated at Tokyo 2020.

Great Britain, France and the USA have competed in Para archery at all 15 editions of the Games. Great Britain leads the all-time medal table with 62 – 18 gold, 22 silver and 22 bronze. The USA have picked up 20 gold, eight silver and 17 bronze medals, while France has captured 39 medals – 15 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze.

What to watch in Para archery

Athletes shoot arrows from a distance of 50 or 70 metres, aiming for as close to the centre of the target as possible. The sport requires precision, control, focus and repetition.

At the Paralympics, archers compete with a recurve bow in the recurve open category and with a compound bow in the compound open category. In addition, Para archery also has a W1 category for athletes with impairments in both the top and bottom halves of their body.

The recurve bow is the modern evolution of traditional bows. The energy stored in the limbs as the bow is drawn is transferred to the arrow as it is released. The compound bow feature mechanical pulleys, telescopic sights and release aids to assist accuracy.

The size of the target differs depending on the distance. In recurve events, a 122 cm target is used at 70m distance, while an 80 cm target is used at 50m in the compound competitions. The target in W1 events is 80cm and is shot from 50m.

Memorable Paralympic moments

Over the years, there have been many memorable moments at the Paralympic Games. Italy’s Paola Fantato has won the most medals, capturing five gold, one silver and two bronze across five Games from 1988-2004.

At the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics, Spain’s Antonio Rebollo earned the silver medal in the men’s recurve team event, a few weeks after he shot a flaming arrow to light the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

At London 2012, Zahra Nemati became the first athlete from the Islamic Republic of Iran to win gold at either the Paralympic or Olympic Games. She topped the podium at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Paris 2024 event programme

There will be more memories made at Paris 2024. Para archery will consist of nine medal events, taking place between 29 August and 5 September:

Individual W1 (men and women)

Individual compound open (men and women)

Individual recurve open (men and women)

Team W1 (mixed)

Team compound (mixed)

Team recurve (mixed)

Paris 2024 venue

The Invalides will stage the Para archery competition.

The Esplanade des Invalides is a huge garden in the heart of the city and is located next to the Hotel des Invalides, which was built during the reign of Louis XIV in 1687 as a military hospital and retirement home for war veterans.

Visit the World Archery website to learn more about the sport.

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website.