'As Expected, Archery Mecca Gwangju' Successfully Hosts Archery World Cup

The First Domestic Sports Event After the End of COVID-19 Social Distancing

Tom Dillon, WA Secretary-General, Praises It as a "Perfect Event with Not a Single 1% Flaw"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Despite a short preparation period, Gwangju Metropolitan City successfully hosted the 2022 Archery World Cup, showcasing Gwangju's status as the mecca of archery to the world.

It is also regarded as a green light for the successful hosting of the 2025 World Archery Championships to be held in Gwangju.

The 2022 Archery World Cup took place from the 17th to the 22nd, with 391 participants from 38 countries (264 athletes and 127 officials, etc.).

Competitions were held in a total of 10 events including recurve and compound, men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team, and mixed team events.

As the first international sports event held in South Korea after the lifting of COVID-19 social distancing measures, the event was safely conducted, once again proving the excellence of South Korea’s quarantine management to the world.

Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in South Korea in January 2020, most international sports events in the country had not been held for over two years.

With the government’s full lifting of social distancing measures on May 4th, the Archery World Cup became possible, but it was a challenging task to ensure the safety of athletes and citizens.

Gwangju City collaborated with related organizations and groups to thoroughly manage testing and other measures.

In particular, from May 14th to 16th, when a large number of athletes arrived in Gwangju, COVID-19 testing was conducted at the outdoor screening clinic at City Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., supported by Seegene Medical Foundation’s Gwangju Honam Testing Center.

Test results were quickly notified by 8 a.m. the next day to ensure no disruption to athletes’ local adaptation training and competition progress.

During the event, rapid antigen test kits (2 per person) and masks (9 per person) were provided for self-testing, and thorough support was given for PCR testing required for returning to their home countries after the competition.

Alongside quarantine efforts, Gwangju’s expertise in operating international sports events was fully demonstrated.

Gwangju had previously enhanced its reputation as an international sports city by successfully hosting major international sports events such as the 2015 Summer Universiade and the 2019 World Swimming Championships.

Notably, after attracting the Archery World Cup, one of the three major global archery events alongside the Summer Olympics and World Championships, Gwangju flawlessly hosted the event within just 164 days of preparation?an unprecedented case in South Korea’s international sports history.

Despite the preparation period being less than six months, both the World Archery Federation and participating athletes expressed amazement and praise for the perfect facility standards and event operation.

This success is attributed primarily to the excellent infrastructure of the internationally standardized ‘Gwangju International Archery Field’ and Gwangju’s experience gained from hosting two major events, which was fully leveraged in this year’s World Cup.

Since January, the city formed a task force dedicated solely to the Archery World Cup and closely cooperated with the Korea Archery Association, Gwangju Archery Association, and central government.

Based on experience from the two major events, seven areas including venue maintenance, competition operation, transportation, accommodation, quarantine, volunteer work, broadcasting, and event support cooperation were planned with 66 detailed plans, and simulations and on-site rehearsals were conducted to enhance execution capability.

The excellent competition management skills and know-how of the Gwangju Archery Association and Korea Archery Association, which were responsible for overall competition operation and preparation, also shone during the Gwangju Archery World Cup.

Additionally, the Gwangju Archery World Cup was designated as a ‘National Important Event’ on March 15th (by the Prime Minister’s Office Anti-Terrorism Center), and 16 civil, public, military, and police organizations including the Gwangju Police Agency cooperated to strengthen patrols around the venue and ensure a safe event.

Especially, the ‘K-Sports Science Conditioning’ service, introduced for the first time at the Gwangju Archery World Cup, received enthusiastic responses from overseas participants and was evaluated as ‘innovative support’ not found in other international sports events.

The Gwangju Sports Council provided close athlete services directly by researchers using various sports specialized equipment at the Gwangju International Archery Field, with 197 participants from 28 countries utilizing the service.

World Archery Federation Secretary General Tom Dielen praised the event as “a perfect competition with not a single 1% flaw from preliminaries to finals.”

The event was also recognized for conveying the passion and warm hospitality of Gwangju citizens and the diverse charms of Gwangju.

The 112 Gwangju citizen volunteers who provided various conveniences to athletes at the venue and accommodations played a significant role as citizen diplomats during the Archery World Cup.

They actively supported the event in various fields such as accommodation information desks, transportation and order support, competition operation assistance, and spectator guidance, helping the smooth progress of the competition.

Moreover, the ‘Group of People Who Love Archery,’ consisting of about 70 parents of archery athletes belonging to local schools and corporate teams, personally provided seasonal fruits and beverages to athletes at the food and beverage booths set up at the Gwangju International Archery Field during the event.

On the 20th, Gwangju City, the Korea Archery Association, and the Gwangju Archery Association held a friendship luncheon with five athletes from single-participant countries such as the Czech Republic and Morocco.

Especially on the 20th and 21st, the Gwangju Tourism Foundation operated tourism programs where participants could experience Mudeungsan Mountain, K-POP, the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and traditional culture, delivering Gwangju’s diverse attractions and sights to the event participants.

The event also confirmed the world-class skills of the South Korean archery national team.

The South Korean archery team, which showed fierce performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, reaffirmed its world-leading skills at the Gwangju Archery World Cup.

Competing in 10 events across compound and recurve categories including men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team, and mixed team, South Korea won a total of 9 medals (6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), achieving first place overall.

In compound, gold medals were won in women’s individual (Kim Yoonhee) and women’s team (Kim Yoonhee, Oh Yuhyun, Song Yunsu), and a bronze medal in men’s team (Kim Jongho, Yang Jaewon, Choi Yonghee).

In recurve, gold and silver medals were won in women’s individual (gold: Choi Miseon, silver: Lee Gahyun), gold and silver in men’s individual (gold: Kim Woojin, silver: Lee Wooseok), gold in women’s team (An San, Choi Miseon, Lee Gahyun), and gold in men’s team (Kim Jeduk, Kim Woojin, Lee Wooseok).