Beginners’ guide to archery at the 2019 European Games in Minsk

The second European Games take place in the Belarusian capital of Minsk this June. Again, archery is included on the programme – but this time with both recurve and compound events.

Also new is that the event acts as a direct qualification tournament for the upcoming Olympics. Less than a week after the qualification period began at the world championships, Minks will award up to a further four places to Tokyo 2020.

Factsheet: Minsk 2019

  • Venue: FC Minsk Sport Complex
  • Dates: 21-27 June
  • Number of athletes: 128 from 42 nations (48 recurve men, 48 recurve women, 16 compound men, 16 compound women)
  • Number of medals: 8 (four individual and two mixed team; two recurve team – no compound team events)

Defending champions

  • Recurve men: Miguel Alvarino Garcia, Spain
  • Recurve women: Karina Winter, Germany (retired)
  • Recurve men team: Ukraine (not qualified)
  • Recurve women team: Italy
  • Recurve mixed team: Italy

Three facts

1) This is the second edition of the European Games after Baku in 2015 and the first to include a competition for compound archers.

The initial maximum number of athletes was kept (64 per gender) but 16 of those were moved from recurve to compound. This means there are enough compound archers to have both individual and mixed team events but no team event was included for 2019.

2) Like the Olympic Games, each match at the European Games is shot individually in an arena. (At most international events, the earlier eliminations phases are resolved together in a line on the qualification field.)

It’s a rare opportunity for up-and-coming athletes to experience the format ahead of Tokyo 2020. It can also throw up some unexpected results – when some archers discover that performing in such a spotlight comes more easily to them, or vice versa.

3) This event will award up to four quota places for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The top-ranked recurve mixed team and top-ranked recurve individuals not already qualified at the world championships win spots. 

(Spaces are limited to the top four finishers. Any left over will be added to the final qualification tournament.)

Schedule

  • Friday 21 June: Qualification
  • Saturday 22 June: Recurve team eliminations and finals, compound women’s early eliminations
  • Sunday 23 June: Recurve and compound mixed team eliminations and finals, compound men’s early eliminations
  • Monday 24 June: Recurve early eliminations
  • Tuesday 25 June: Recurve early eliminations
  • Wednesday 26 June: Recurve and compound women’s elimination and finals
  • Thursday 27 June: Recurve and compound men’s elimination and finals

Favourites

The top five archers from Europe in the world rankings as of Thursday 20 June 2019. Overall world ranking given in brackets.

Recurve men

Recurve women

Compound men

Compound women

Competition format

Recurve athletes shoot at 122cm targets set 70 metres away, with 10 scoring zones. Competition starts with a 72-arrow ranking round, used to rank athletes, and is followed by knock-out elimination matches resolved using the set system.

Athletes shoot sets of three arrows – and the highest-scoring athlete in the set receives two set points; a draw awards one set point to each athlete. The first athlete to six set points wins the match.

(Teams shoot sets of six arrows and mixed teams shoot sets of four arrows, two per athlete. The first team or mixed team to five set points wins the match.)

Compound athletes shoot at 80cm targets set 50 metres away, with 10 scoring zones (the outer four are removed). Competition starts with a 72-arrow ranking round, used to rank athletes, and is followed by knock-out elimination matches resolved using cumulative scoring.

Athletes shoot 15 arrows, in five ends of three arrows, and the highest-scoring athlete wins the match. (Mixed teams shoot 16 arrows, two per athlete per end.)

The archery competitions at the 2019 European Games take place on 21-27 June in Minsk, Belarus.

Competitions