Competitive archery has two bow types. The recurve bow, whose limbs curve away from the archer, is the only discipline at the Olympics, shot at 70 m; South Korea has won most of the golds since 1984. The compound bow uses cams and pulleys to hold the draw and is shot at the Asian Games, the World Cup circuit and the Paralympics, where it is a strong event for India.
Key facts
- Archery debuted at the 1900 Olympics and has been held at 18 Games; recurve is the only Olympic discipline, shot at 70 m.
- Five Olympic events since 2020: men's and women's individual and team, plus a mixed team; a sixth, mixed team compound, is added for 2028. (as of 23 Oct 2026)
- South Korea has won 32 of the 44 archery golds awarded since 1984. (as of 23 Oct 2026)
- Dola Banerjee won the women's recurve title at the 2007 World Cup Final in Dubai.
Latest
Dhiraj Bommadevara became the first Indian man to win the individual recurve title at an Archery World Cup Final, in Saltillo, Mexico, on 13 September 2026 (6-5, shoot-off 10-9); at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Kumkum Mohod won individual recurve gold and the mixed compound pair beat South Korea.
Why exams ask about it
Which bow is Olympic, who won the latest World Cup Final, and India's para-archery stars are the usual questions.