Can Compound Bows Be Used In The Olympics? Here Is The Short Answer…

There are plenty of talented archers in Australia who are keen to go on to do more in the sport. In fact, we have archers every year who participate in internationally recognised archery events. As with many sports, the ultimate would be to compete at the Olympic level, but considering the current state of affairs in world archery, one would need to make a few compromises to do so. The central issue is that despite the number of archers using Compound bows locally, the Olympics only recognises the use of Recurve bows. So, can compound bows be used in the Olympics? Short answer is: not yet.

Of course, if the use of Compound bows were ever recognised at an Olympic level, the exposure for archery itself would be massive. There are so many archers locally and in other countries who use Compound bows exclusively that if the Olympic committee ever recognised it, our participation at the Olympic level would triple almost overnight! This would mean that more archers get a chance to compete at the Olympics for their country, and there’d be more chance of winning a medal.

Despite the huge number of archers in North America and Europe who use Compound bows, the Olympic committee is still concerned about the numbers in Oceania and Asia. The Olympics only comes around every four years, so there is always a hope that one sport or another will be recognised at any specific event. For archery, the absence of the top Compound bow shooters means that plenty of people simply miss out on representing their country at the top level. From the point of view of the Olympic committee, it seems that they would rather the Compound bow be more popular amongst shooters in some other nations before they consider adding it to the Olympic roster.

The frustration is pretty obvious for those competitive shooters who use Compound bows exclusively. It seems absurd that a bow technology that has been around since the 1960s has yet to be recognised at the Olympic level. After all, whether one uses a Compound bow or a Recurve bow, isn’t the end result still the same? Isn’t it all about technique, skill, and composure?

Ultimately, the consideration of the IOC when it comes to adding Compound Bows to the Olympics seems more about politics than practicalities. On the surface there certainly seems to be more than enough people worldwide using Compound Bows to justify its addition to the sport at the highest level of world competition, but the hope is that it will eventually happen, even if it does not yet seem likely at the next Olympic event in 2020.

For the time being at least, it makes sense to continue using the Compound Bow locally, but if there is any thought of competing at a higher level, it may also be wise to develop a Recurve Bow technique. This seems the most practical way of approaching the problem.