Beginners’ guide to the qualification process for the Chengdu 2025 World Games

The qualification process for the next edition of the World Games taking place in 2025, starting in May and running for about a year, will allocate quotas to national federations.

The multisport event in Chengdu, China, will feature two archery disciplines: target (compound) and field archery (recurve and barebow).

A total of archers will compete for seven gold medals, including six individual titles – men's and women's in each bow division – plus a mixed team trophy in the target event.

Places at the World Games are limited to only 100 archers in total – 48 in the field and 52 in target events.

Here’s a quick guide to how the places will be allocated.

How many archers?

• 100 quota places in total
• 48 for field archery
  • 24 recurve
  • 24 barebow
• 52 compound places for target archery

Place assignment

The archer that wins a place in competition will not necessarily be the archer that attends the World Games. Quotas are assigned to a national federation, which must accept each spot and subsequently nominate the archer that fills it.

Field archery

Qualification for the field archery events at the 2025 World Games will be decided in its entirety at the 2024 World Archery Field Championships on 16-22 September in Lac La Biche, Canada.

The 48 quota places are split equally over the four competition categories:

• 12 recurve men
• 12 recurve women
• 12 barebow men
• 12 barebow women

Each country can win a maximum of one place in each category except for the quota places awarded to the host country and to the nation of the world champion, which are exempt from the quota maximum.

Quotas

• 1 place for the host country (quota maximum exempt).
• 1 place for the world champion (quota maximum exempt).
• 10 places on the final ranking list from the world championships.

Any places needing to be reallocated will be awarded according to the final ranking list from the world championships.

Calendar

September 2024 – World Archery Field Championships

The final ranking list at the Lac La Biche 2024 World Archery Field Championships decides the quota places for the World Games.

China has its host spot reserved. The nation could, theoretically, win an additional two places if the world champion is from China and another archer from the team places within the top 10 places at the championships.

Until June 2025 – Entry period

Any place refused by a national federation is reallocated according to the results list from the championships until all places are filled.

The deadline for final entries is 10 June 2025.

Target archery

Qualification for the target archery events at the 2025 World Games will be primarily decided at continental qualification tournaments and on the world ranking list, with two spots reserved specifically for para athletes.

The 52 quota places are split equally over the two competition categories:

• 26 compound men
• 26 compound women

Each country can win a maximum of two places in each category except for the quota place awarded to the para athletes, which are exempt from the quota maximum.

Any country that qualifies at least one compound man and one compound woman will also qualify to compete in the compound mixed team event.

Quotas

• 1 place for the host country.
• 1 place for a para athlete from the host country.
• 10 places awarded on the world ranking list as of 31 December 2024.
• 13 places awarded at continental qualification tournaments (limited to top eight places in the final rankings).
  • 3 at American, Asian and European qualification tournaments.
  • 2 at African and Oceanian qualification tournaments.
• 1 place for compound open champion at Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Any places needing to be reallocated will be awarded according to the world ranking list as of 7 April 2025.

Calendar

September 2024 – Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

The winners of the compound women’s open and compound men’s open events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will qualify a spot for the 2025 World Games. If a winner is from China then the next eligible country in the final ranking will receive the place.

End 2024 – Host country spots

China automatically receives two places in each compound category – one for an able-bodied and one for a para archer – at the World Games. They can win a maximum of one more, either in the world ranking list or at the Asian continental qualifying event.

End 2024 – World ranking list

Ten places will be awarded according to the compound men’s and compound women’s world ranking lists at the end of 2024. If any country reaches the maximum of two quotas (or three, in the case of China), then the place will go to the next eligible country according to the list.

Before 31 March 2025 – Continental qualification tournaments

Qualification tournaments will take place in all five continents.

Three places are awarded on the final results list at the American, Asian and European continental qualification tournaments; two places are awarded at the African and Oceanian continental qualification tournaments.

Places are only allocated to athletes that finish in the top eight. Any places unable to be allocated are reallocated according to the world ranking list as of 31 December 2024 independent of the continent.

The continental qualification tournaments are as follows:

• Africa: to be confirmed
• Americas: Pan American Championships – Medellin, Colombia – 9-14 April 2024
• Asia: Asia Cup – Bangkok, Thailand – 16-23 February 2025
• Europe: European Championships – Essen, Germany – 7-12 May 2024
• Oceania: Continental qualifying tournament – 15-16 March 2025 – Auckland, New Zealand

Until June 2025 – Final entries

Any place refused by a national federation is reallocated according to the world ranking list as of 31 December 2024 until all places are filled.

The deadline for final entries is 10 June 2025.

Archery at the World Games

Archery was introduced to the World Games in 1985. The programme consisted of field archery competitions for recurve and barebow archers until 1989. In 1993, compound was added.

The compound event was changed into a target archery competition in 2013 when the Games were held in Cali, Colombia. This remains the current format.

Miguel Becerra, Ella Gibson and the mixed team from Colombia won the compound events at the (delayed) 2022 World Games in Birmingham; Florian Unruh, Chiara Rebagliati, Erik Jonsson and Cinzia Noziglia were the field champions.

The 2025 World Games will take place on 7-17 August in Chengdu, China.