Archery (World Archery) — Official Rules

Target archery is a precision sport in which athletes shoot arrows at a fixed circular target divided into concentric scoring rings. The objective is to accumulate the highest score (or, in match play, to win the most set points) by placing arrows as close to the centre of the target as possible. A competition is contested between individuals, teams of three athletes of the same gender, or mixed teams of one man and one woman. The athlete or team with the better result is the winner.

Two principal bow divisions are recognised in target archery:

• Recurve - the Olympic division; the bow limbs curve away from the archer at the tips. Recurve shoots at 70 m outdoors.
• Compound - a bow using a levering system of cams and cables; permits a mechanical release aid and magnifying sight. Compound shoots at 50 m outdoors. The two divisions use different target faces, scoring methods (set system for recurve, cumulative for compound) and equipment rules, and compete in separate events.

For outdoor target archery the standard distances are:

• Recurve: 70 m
• Compound: 50 m The shooting line is set at the prescribed distance from the targets, measured horizontally. A waiting line is placed at least 3 m behind the shooting line, and athletes shoot from a position straddling the shooting line. Indoor competition is shot at 18 m at a reduced target face.

The target face is a five-colour, ten-ring face:

• Recurve (70 m): a target face of 122 cm diameter, with a 10-ring (innermost gold) measuring 12.2 cm in diameter.
• Compound (50 m): a target face of 80 cm diameter, with a 10-ring measuring 8 cm in diameter. The centre of the gold (10-ring centre) is set at a height of 130 cm above the ground. For compound at 50 m a 6-ring (triple/vertical) spot face showing only rings 6 to 10 may be used.

A recurve bow consists of a handle (riser), two flexible limbs and a string. Permitted accessories include a bow sight, stabilisers, a clicker and an arrow rest. The bow sight shall not incorporate any prism, magnifying lens or lenses, levelling, electric or electronic device, and shall not provide more than one sighting point. No electronic communication, range-finding or score-recording device may be used by the athlete while shooting.

A compound bow draws and holds the string mechanically by means of a cam/cable system. The peak draw weight shall not exceed 60 lbs (pounds). Unlike recurve, a compound sight may incorporate magnifying lenses, a prism and a levelling device, and a mechanical release aid is permitted. A peep sight in the string is allowed. The bow's let-off (the reduction in holding weight at full draw) is not separately limited beyond the 60 lb peak.

Each athlete's arrows shall be marked with the athlete's name or initials on the shaft, and all arrows used in an end shall be of the same identical type and bear the same colours of fletchings and nocks. The maximum arrow shaft diameter is 9.3 mm and the maximum point diameter is 9.4 mm, ensuring fair line-cutting decisions. Arrows that fail equipment inspection may not be used in competition.

Arrows are scored according to the ring in which the shaft lies, from the centre outward:

• Gold: 10 and 9
• Red: 8 and 7
• Blue: 6 and 5
• Black: 4 and 3
• White: 2 and 1 An arrow that misses the scoring rings entirely scores 0 (Miss, recorded as "M"). The maximum value of any single arrow is 10. A perfect 72-arrow qualification round therefore totals 720 points.

Inside the 10-ring is a smaller inner-10 ring, marked "X". Outdoors (recurve 70 m and compound 50 m) an arrow in the inner-10 still scores 10 points; the number of X (inner-10) hits is recorded separately and is used as a tiebreaker when total scores are equal. For indoor compound competition the inner ring becomes the only 10 - the surrounding ring scores 9. Line-cutters take the higher value: an arrow touching the dividing line between two rings is awarded the higher score.

Outdoor competition opens with a qualification round of 72 arrows (the "720 round"), shot in 12 ends of 6 arrows (organised as 2 ends of 3 per turn when the field is shot in halves). Each athlete's total over 72 arrows ranks them for elimination match play. Ties in qualification ranking are broken first by the number of 10s, then by the number of X (inner-10) hits.

Recurve individual matches are decided by the set system. Each set, both archers shoot 3 arrows. The archer with the higher set total is awarded 2 set points; if the set is tied, each archer receives 1 set point. The match is played over a maximum of 5 sets, and the first archer to reach 6 set points wins. A match can therefore end after 3, 4 or 5 sets.

Compound individual matches are decided by cumulative scoring, NOT the set system. Each archer shoots 15 arrows, split into 5 ends of 3 arrows, and the archer with the highest total points score wins the match. Because of the small 8 cm 10-ring and the magnifying sight, elite compound matches are routinely decided by a single point.

A team consists of 3 athletes of the same gender.

• Recurve teams use the set system: each team shoots 6 arrows per set (2 per athlete) and the first team to 5 set points wins (2 points for winning a set, 1 each if tied; maximum 4 sets).
• Compound teams use cumulative scoring: each team shoots 24 arrows in 4 ends of 6 (2 per athlete per end), and the higher total wins. During a team end, athletes shoot one at a time and only one team member may be at the shooting line at any moment.

A mixed team consists of one man and one woman from the same nation.

• Recurve mixed teams use the set system: each team shoots 4 arrows per set (2 per athlete) and the first team to 5 set points wins.
• Compound mixed teams use cumulative scoring: each team shoots 16 arrows in 4 ends of 4 (2 per athlete per end), highest total wins.

Shooting is controlled by acoustic and visual signals (a tone and lights/numbered timer):

• Alternating individual match shooting (recurve Olympic round, compound match round, indoor): 20 seconds per arrow to shoot a single arrow, including in a shoot-off.
• Non-alternating individual shooting (qualification and rounds where alternate shooting does not apply): 30 seconds per arrow, i.e. 2 minutes (120 s) for an end of 6 arrows or 90 s for an end of 3.
• Team rounds: 120 seconds for an end of 6 arrows.
• Mixed team rounds: 80 seconds for an end of 4 arrows. For all Para-archery individual rounds the time per arrow is extended by 10 seconds.

If a recurve match is tied at 5-5 in set points after 5 sets, or a compound match has equal cumulative totals after 15 arrows, the match is decided by a shoot-off of one arrow each. The arrow with the higher score wins. If both arrows score the same value, the arrow closest to the centre of the target wins. If still undecided, the shoot-off is repeated. The shoot-off arrow is shot under the alternating 20-second time limit.

In a tied team or mixed team match, each athlete shoots one arrow in the shoot-off (3 arrows total for a team of three; 2 arrows for a mixed team). The team with the higher total wins. If still tied, the team with the single arrow closest to the centre of the target wins the match.

An arrow shot before the start signal or after the stop signal, or out of sequence in alternating shooting, causes the athlete or team to lose the highest-scoring arrow of that end, which is scored as a Miss (M, 0 points). There is no yellow/red-card system as in field-invasion sports; sanctions are arrow-value penalties and, for serious or repeated breaches, disqualification.

If an athlete shoots more than the permitted number of arrows in an end, only the lowest-scoring arrows up to the allowed number count, and the highest-scoring excess arrow is forfeited and scored as a Miss. An arrow that bounces off the target or passes through it may be re-shot only if the strike can be confirmed by an unmarked mark/witness mark and a judge's ruling. Equipment failing inspection or using prohibited devices results in those arrows scoring zero or the athlete being barred from shooting until the fault is corrected.

An athlete shall not touch any arrow or the target face until all arrows have been scored. Crossing the shooting line before the signal to collect arrows, or any unsporting conduct, may be penalised by a judge. A judge may issue warnings; persistent or serious breaches may lead to loss of score for the end or disqualification from the event. All scoring and equipment disputes are resolved by the judges, whose decision on the value of an arrow is final.