FISU alters age limits for archers at Universiade

The University Sports Federation (FISU) has revealed that the upper age limit for archery athletes will be reduced to 25 years for the next edition of the Summer Universiade in Napoli, Italy in 2019.

At the previous Universiade in Taipei in 2017, athletes could be aged between 17 and 28.

In Napoli, athlete birthdays will be required to fall on or between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2001, meaning they could be aged between 17 and 25 during the event.

Team events will also include just two archers, rather than the normal three. Otherwise, the tournament will be run to World Archery rules with individual, team and mixed team competitions for both recurve and compound bowstyles.

Archery was first included in the Universiade in 2003 and makes its debut as a compulsory sport in Napoli.

The event is open to athletes studying for a university degree or diploma or former students who obtained their academic degree in the year preceding the event.

Qualification and eliminations will take place in Partenio Stadium with finals planned for Caserta Royal Palace, an 18th-century palace that has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.

Korea won nine of the available 10 gold medals at the last Summer Universiade in Taipei in 2017, with Russia’s men taking the compound team title to prevent a clean sweep.

The archery competitions at the 2019 Universiade start on 9 July in Napoli, Italy.

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