Experimental rule changes for Archery World Cup Stage-3

Experimental rule changes for Archery World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya to reduce time and clarify scoring.

The Archery World Cup Stage-3, starting in Antalya on Wednesday, will have some experimental rule changes, which will reduce the time and make the scoring clearer.

Among the changes, two are significant: the number of arrows will reduce from 72 to 60 in the qualification round and 11 points, instead of 10, will be allocated for an arrow hitting the ‘X’ ring.

The existing system, offering a maximum possible score of 720, requires an archer to shoot 72 arrows with a break (at the halfway stage) in the qualification stage. Under the new rule, offering a maximum of 660, one needs to shoot 60 arrows without a break.

Now, because of the 11-point shots, the situation can change drastically in match-plays.

“For Antalya, Atanu (Das) and Deepika (Kumari) practised shooting with more perfection and tried hitting the X more often. This required aggressive shooting. We shot for 14-15 rounds at one go instead of 10,” said the archer couple’s personal coach Rahul Banerjee.

“The changes have both positive and negative sides. The qualification round will be a challenge as it will test one’s endurance. In elimination rounds, one can fight back even after shooting a below par score, say an eight, by getting two 11s.

“The changes will help compound competitions, as several archers were getting high scores. Now, there will be fewer ties.”