New Year 2021 message from World Archery president and notice of office closure

World Archery president Prof Dr Ugur Erdener has issued the following end-of-year message to end 2020 and welcome the New Year in 2021.

This message comes at the end of a difficult year for all of us.

Many things we previously took for granted in life, let alone sport, were interrupted. International competition was suspended, the Olympic Games were delayed and many could not even enjoy the simple pleasure of shooting arrows in practice, let alone at tournaments.

COVID-19 is not yet over and there are still challenges we must all face. However, over the back half of 2020, we have proven that archery has its place in this post-pandemic society.

Our successful tests of protocols to protect participant well-being, starting in Antalya and continuing with the invitational stages of the Indoor Archery World Series, have provided a path to get back to archery and a safe route back to international competition in 2021. But, more than that, they provided an opportunity to innovate.

How we, as a worldwide archery community, emerge from this challenging time will shape the sport for years to come. World Archery is bringing sustainability and development into stronger focus across all its activities – as we believe these key principles will build a better federation and sport for the future. What about you?

At every level, from the grassroots athlete to those involved in the leadership of national and continental federations, I encourage you to reflect deeply on what it is that makes this sport great.

The values of precision, repetition, control – and of friendship, community and support make archery evermore relevant in a world in need of positivity.

I celebrate every one of you that has embodied these values throughout 2020, be it running virtual (or some of the first live) events, volunteering to get clubs and ranges ready for use under local health restrictions, or even just protecting one another from harm. Every action, no matter how small, matters.

This sport has a community that it should be intensely proud of.

We all want to get back to normality as quickly as possible. I am confident in the return of international events in 2021 – and I’m very much looking forward to watching our best athletes compete at the Olympic Games – but things won’t be easy.

Together, though, archers and archery will weather this storm – and we will emerge stronger for it.

Look after yourselves and one another, and have a Happy New Year.

The World Archery office (physical and virtual) will be closed from Friday evening on 18 December 2020 and will reopen on Monday morning on 4 January 2021. Any urgent queries related to the Indoor Archery World Series during this time should be directed to support@archery.sport.

On behalf of the World Archery president, secretary general Tom Dielen and the rest of the staff, happy holidays and have a prosperous New Year.