New Archery Rules Could Hurt Koreans
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The International Archery Federation (FITA) will use a new scoring system in international competitions, including the Olympics.
According to the Korea Archery Association (KAA), the FITA made the decision for both the recurve and compound events at the general assembly held in Korea in September but it was not made public until Thursday.
From next April, FITA will use a set system instead of compiling scores from each round.
Under the current system, archers shoot 12 arrows in head-to-head matches; the competitor with the highest total score is the winner.
Under the new rules, the set system, used in volleyball, table tennis and badminton will be used. Matches in the first round through the round of 16 will be broken up into three sets with six shots each.
In the round of 16 until the final, matches will have up to three sets with three shots each.
The winner of each set will get two points and the loser will receive none. In a tied set, each archer will receive a single point.
In three set matches, the first competitor to garner four points will be the winner. In the event that the match ends in a draw, there will be a sudden death shoot-off, with each archer taking shots one by one.
FITA made the changes to make matches more exciting for spectators and players. It will require shooters to stay sharp right until the last shot.
In the old system, a player who botches his first few shots has little chance of coming back to win. The new system is far more forgiving, making come-from-behind victories far easier.
The rule changes have the potential to be a big disadvantage for the Koreans.
The set system should serve as a great equalizer, because one big mistake means that only one set is lost, rather than the whole match.
Korean archers tend to be steadier and less prone to big mistakes. That consistency is not favored under the new system.
"This change was inevitable. It's a way to make archery more interesting. But I can't erase my idea that this change reflects an intention to check powerhouse Korea," KAA technical director Jang Young-sool said to the press.
Rule changes for the team events have not yet been determined but a decision is expected at the general assembly, which will be held later this month.