World Archery and the Korea Archery Association (KAA) have launched a landmark four-year development partnership valued at USD 800,000, bringing Korean coaching expertise, equipment, and youth programmes to countries around the world.
The agreement, which runs from 2026 to 2029, was signed in Korea on 13 August by World Archery executive director Juan Carlos Holgado and Korea Archery Association vice president Jang Young Sool.
Three major initiatives are already being delivered during the first year of the partnership.
Korean coaches are being deployed to work directly with athletes and coaches in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, and Ecuador. The placements began in June and will continue through December.
The Korea Archery Association is also facilitating the donation of 30 sets of used and refurbished risers and limbs to several countries, starting with Nigeria. The equipment is supplied by Korean schools and teams, and refurbished with support from bow manufacturers.
The third – and a critical – strand is youth development.
The Korea Archery Association hosted an international camp and invitational competition for aspiring young archers in Korea in August, covering all local costs for the participating teams. It forms part of a wider collaboration in which World Archery and the Korea Archery Association will use Korea’s world-class facilities and expertise to improve the opportunities available to young archers worldwide.
“Korea has an incredible depth of knowledge in archery, and this partnership gives us a very practical way to share that expertise with countries that can benefit from it most,” said World Archery executive director Juan Carlos Holgado.
“It is not only about sending coaches or equipment. It is about creating long-term development opportunities, learning from one of the strongest archery systems in the world, and collaborating on projects that can have a real impact on athletes and coaches.”
The World Archery-KAA Development Partnership covers the provision of equipment, deployment of Korean coaches, and joint training programmes over its four-year term.
World Archery will coordinate the projects with beneficiary countries and provide additional development funding where appropriate. Projects will be selected jointly by the two organisations and reviewed annually.
“The Korea Archery Association is pleased to establish this meaningful partnership with World Archery and to contribute to the continued development of archery around the world,” said Korea Archery Association vice president Jang Young Sool.
“Through the sharing of Korea’s coaching experience, equipment, and facilities, we hope to support athletes and member associations in many countries, as we strengthen our ongoing cooperation with the international archery family. We look forward to working closely with World Archery and many other national federations through the programmes.
The agreement establishes a new model for development collaboration between World Archery and one of the sport’s most successful national governing bodies, built around sharing expertise and resources to support the global growth of the sport.
