Compound Archery Added to LA28 Olympics as Mixed Team Event

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced on 9 April 2025 that a compound mixed team event will be added to the archery programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. It is the first time a new bow style has been added since archery returned to the Olympics at Munich 1972.

The compound event joins the five existing recurve events, taking the number of archery medals at LA28 from five to six.

What was decided

World Archery President Uğur Erdener called the decision "a monumental step forward for the sport and for the millions of compound archers worldwide who have long sought Olympic recognition." Secretary General Tom Dielen noted that recurve and compound had been treated as equals in participation, promotion and prize money on the World Cup circuit since 2006.

How compound got here

Compound archery has been part of the World Archery Championships since 1995 and the World Games since 2013, and it is contested at continental multi-sport events including the Asian Games and Pan American Games. The World Games described the IOC decision as validation of its role as a stepping stone to the Olympic programme.

What it means for archers and the industry

• Athletes: national federations now have Olympic funding incentives to develop compound programmes, not only recurve.
• Qualification: continental events gained Olympic significance. India, for example, secured a compound mixed team place for LA28 by winning the event at the 2026 Asian Games.
• Equipment: compound bows, release aids and scopes will appear on the Olympic stage for the first time, with the exposure that brings to a product category already dominant in North American hunting.

For a plain-language explanation of how the two bow types differ, see our compound vs recurve comparison.