Venue tour: Lausanne 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup stage 2

The Olympic capital of Lausanne has welcomed nearly 250 archers for the second stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup and the continuation of the international circuit’s 15th season.

It might not be the most idyllic of weather but the venue isn’t bad!

The World Archery Excellence Centre, a purpose-built facility for the sport with a mandate to develop archery at grassroots to elite levels, is where this tournament is headquartered but it’s also making use of nearby sports fields.

Let’s take a look.

Left field

The field is split into three parts with the main two for qualification and eliminations situated about 200 metres away from the World Archery Excellence Centre on football pitches. The left side of the range contains 32 targets set at 70 metres for the majority of the 149 recurve archers competing at this stage of the tour.

Right field

The right side of the field is a little… custom. It’s got 26 targets set at 50 metres for the compound competition and an additional eight recurve targets. It’s not ideal, frankly, but due to social distancing and the limited space available, a somewhat creative solution to fit the competition on the field had to be found.

Finals field

This is a picture of the World Archery Excellence Centre’s main outdoor range in use during the first-ever World Archery Masters Championships in 2018. It won’t look like this at the weekend when it’s branded and transformed into a full finals arena for broadcast.

Main hall

Normally the indoor 18- and 70-metre ranges for archers training at the World Archery Excellence Centre, the main hall is now the base of operations for athletes on site. It’s where teams are eating, where the team managers’ meeting took place – and, in the far corner, where there are spaces marked out on the ground for archers to store their gear.

Access control

Only athletes who are actually competing and their accompanying coaches can access the fields proper during each phase of the tournament. Volunteers at the access points also check temperatures and masks, in line with the protocols agreed with local health authorities.

Equipment inspection

Judges still check every athletes’ equipment prior to the start of competition to ensure that it complies with the rules. The tent isn’t mandatory. But it seems to be appreciated given the rain!

Competition at the second stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup starts with qualification today in Lausanne.