Archery about to make history at the Houses of Parliament in London!

As the Olympic sport with the richest of history, it must surely be appropriate that Britain's Parliament is to host an archery tournament. The tournament, taking place on the Speakers' Green on Monday, 5 September 2011, is one of the events being staged to mark Archery GB's 150th anniversary. The Commonwealth Games double gold medallist Nicky HUNT will be there to give some expert advice to several adversaries.   Among the rivalries will be the Culture Secretary Jeremy HUNT MP, and his Parliamentary Shadow, Ivan LEWIS MP, and other Members of Parliament who will be going along to have a go at one of the country's fastest growing sports.   The event has been organised by Huw IRRANCA-DAVIES MP, the Parliamentary sponsor for archery in the countdown to next year's London Olympic Games. An enthusiastic sportsman, Mr IRRANCA-DAVIES is no new convert to archery—he has been involved in the sport for many years, particularly since the establishment of groups in his constituency, and is now looking forward to making Parliamentary history.   He said: "This will be the first time in the history of Parliament—ever, with no exceptions—that there's been a sporting event held there. It will be happening right on the Speaker's Green and the public will be able to look down from Westminster Bridge and see archery taking place. They will see MPs and Lords having a go, with some excellent guidance from Nicky, and some of our leading coaches."   Archery now has over 30-thousand regular participants throughout the United Kingdom, and with the sports' profile raising in the countdown to London 2012, new recruits to the sport are turning up all the time.   Only recently, archery came out on top in an AXA sponsored opinion poll of young people throughout the country when asked about the Olympic sport they would most like to take up if given the chance. It was an outcome that did not surprise Archery GB's Development Manager David READER.   "Archery received 27 per cent of the vote in that poll, nine points more than swimming, which came second, and obviously we were delighted," said Mr READER. "It reflects the increasing profile of the sport, and also the hard work done around the country by the development team based at Lilleshall, and a team of fantastic volunteers who support us in promoting the sport, and help us with the development of clubs. Archery is becoming so popular because people are finding out that it is the ultimate sport for all: it is the sport where people of any age, any size, and any ability can compete equally. It doesn't matter whether you're able bodied or disabled, you can take part in archery. For some, there is the chance to rise through the ranks and compete at the very highest level; while others just enjoy being part of a club, shooting arrows for fun and having a great time, and Archery GB embraces all of them."   So will the first Parliamentary archery competition turn into a political competition? Might the Prime Minister, David CAMERON, be tempted?   "Well, we're trying to see if Mr CAMERON, Mr CLEGG (Deputy Prime Minister, Nick CLEGG) and Mr MILIBAND (Leader of the Opposition Ed MILIBAND) are free, and it would be great fun if they were," said Mr IRRANCA-DAVIES. "But ultimately we want to highlight what a great sport archery is to MPs and Peers on all sides, what a great diversity of people there are who take part in it, and what a huge contribution there is not just from the elite athletes but also from the grass roots and the volunteers."   Follow Archery GB on Twitter: @archerygb   Peter JONES Media, Archery GB, +44 (7841) 997408 Edited by World Archery Communication