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New Participation Record for the World University Archery Championships
Tainan, Chinese Taipei - 7 July 2008
With a participation of 155 archers from 27 countries the 7th World University Championships beat the participation record for the FISU Archery World Championships (WUAC). In the previous edition in Slovakia in 2006 the number of participants was of 124 competitors.
Competition
City
Countries
Men
Women
Total
Officials
WUACH 96
Vaulx-en-Velin (FRA)
15
53
31
84
31
WUACH 98
Tao-Yuan (TPE)
16
52
36
88
35
WUACH 00
Madrid (ESP)
24
68
52
120
44
WUACH 02
Chon-Buri (THA)
17
55
32
87
45
UNIVER 03
Daegu (KOR)
28
85
60
145
65
WUACH 04
Madrid (ESP)
20
65
57
122
48
UNIVER 05
Izmir (TUR)
36
106
83
189
72
WUAC 06
Vinicne (SVK)
25
68
56
124
WUAC 08
Tainan (TPE)
27
88
68
156
64
Opening Ceremony
The competition will start tomorrow in the Chang Jung Christian University, located in the Tainan County in China Taipei. FISU Assessor, Mr Hisato Igarashi from Japan, declared “before even shooting one arrow, the event is already a success as the number of participants is the highest we ever had in a WUAC. We have to thank the organising Committee, Tainan County, the Sport University Federation in Taipei and the Archery Federation of Taipei for the enthusiasm and excellent work they have done to welcome all of us and organise this event in such a high level”. The competition was officially declared open by Mr Igarashi at the end of the Opening Ceremony, after several speeches from the authorities, the marching of the participants, some cultural performances and the FITA flag’s raising and FISU anthem ceremony.
The facilities are ready for the competition and have been tested today by the archers and inspected by the judges during the official practice sessions. Archers were satisfied with the field and facilities, but concerned about the weather forecast for the week. The temperatures are quite high (hot and damp) and rain appears from time to time which considerably increases humidity. “The entire field is a sauna… and shades, water-drinks, and keeping a constant level of liquid (water) in the body need to be taken into consideration by the athletes, officials and volunteers, if tomorrow they all want to perform well”, Juan Carlos Holgado, Chairman of the FISU Archery Technical Commission, said.
Wiebke Nulle (GER)
Another factor that some archers are feeling is “jetlag”, with some teams travelling 19-20 hours and “enjoying” 6-8 hours of time difference with their respective countries. What’s more, the competition schedule is condensed, which does not help the archers stay focused on their performance.
The competition will start with a qualification round at 70 metres for all divisions. The individual eliminations will be shot on the following day. The event will end 10 July with the team competition and a mixed team event (recently adopted by FISU and in the process of being adopted in FITA events, as well). In this category, one man and one woman from the same country and same type of bow will team up and compete together. This format was introduced in FISU events during the WUAC in Slovakia in 2006 and tested in the FITA World Cup in Dover in 2007. Since then it has proved as one of the future successes of archery. Hit/miss targets (academic round target face) will be used for all team competitions.
The competition will be filmed and video streamed on the internet to allow fans from around the world to see images of the event and follow the competition (On-line Live Broadcasting Service). You can also find photos, news, results and videos on the official website: http://2008wuac.ctusf.org.tw/
Photos by FITA at UserFiles/Image/FITA_Photo_Gallery/WorldChamp2008/2008_WUAC/index.html
Juan Carlos Holgado
FITA Comunication