Six things changing on the Hyundai Archery World Cup for 2022

The Hyundai Archery World Cup returns for its 16th season in 2022, with stages scheduled from April to July in Antalya (Turkey), Gwangju (Korea), Paris (France) and Medellin (Colombia), before the all-important grand final in the Mexican city of Tlaxcala in October.

Typically, the rules for competitions and the circuit are tweaked ahead of the season.

This year is no different.

From second uniforms to an overhaul of competition qualifying – and what they mean in the context of the season – here are six changes you can expect on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit in 2022.

1. Bye-bye, top eight-bye

For many years, the top eight qualifiers in each category received a protected ticket through to the last 32 – or third round – of the eliminations bracket. It was always a contentious rule among athletes, some of whom believed that the benefits of shooting early matches would outweigh the risk of being upset by a low qualifier suddenly getting hot.

The byes have been ditched for the upcoming season, with the top eight seeds instead receiving…

2. …bonus points

The top eight seeds in each category will be awarded bonus points, which count towards the Hyundai Archery World Cup Ranking. These bonus points are counted separately to the points scored for an archer’s final result at each stage.

A number one seeding will earn an athlete eight bonus points, second seed is seven, third seed is six – and so on. (For comparison, a stage win is worth 25 points.)

3. Cut at 64

Fewer archers will advance to the matchplay phase at stages of the international tour.

Any category with less than 104 archers registered (at the final entry deadline) will be cut to 64 after qualifying – and those seeded 65 and lower immediately eliminated. For any category in which 104 or more archers are registered, the cut will be made at 128.

4. Standard schedules

Tournaments have become easier to follow with the session schedules made consistent at all four stages of the circuit. Afternoons are now reserved solely for the individual competitions, with the team events all running in the mornings. Qualifying is split over two days, one for recurve and one for compound, and the final four, which was introduced last season and sees semifinals shot in the arena, returns in 2022.

5. Two kits

Teams are required to have both a primary and an alternate uniform in 2022. The alternate gear will come into play in individual final fours, should two teams have the same colour uniform (or two or more athletes from the same country qualify).

It’s to help make the matches easier to follow on broadcast.

6. Bigger prizes

Archers will win more money on the international circuit this season than ever before.

The record-setting prize fund on offer during the 2022 season comprises 30,400 CHF at each stage – up nearly 220% since 2019 – and 202,000 CHF at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, which is an increase of more than 40% compared to three years ago.

Each circuit champion in 2022 will take home 28,000 CHF.

The international season begins on 18-24 April with the first stage of the 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.