Preview: Archery returns to continental Youth Para Games in Dubai after 12 years

Youth para archers – both newcomers and some experienced athletes – from across the region have gathered in Dubai for the Asian Youth Para Games, a multisport event for para athletes aged 12 to 23 from the member countries of the Asian Paralympic Committee.

This is the fifth edition of the biennial event, and the first time since Kuala Lumpur 2013 that para archery is included on the programme, alongside para athletics, para armwrestling, para badminton, boccia, goalball, para powerlifting, para swimming, para table tennis, para taekwondo and wheelchair basketball.

It is also the third multisport youth event for archery this year, following the European Para Youth Games in Istanbul in July and the Youth Para Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile in November.

In Dubai, 37 archers from 11 countries are set to compete in recurve under-21 and compound under-21 categories in both men’s and women’s events, as well as a women’s W1 event featuring athletes from just two nations in individual competition.

China fields the largest delegation, with 10 athletes competing across recurve, compound and W1 events.

Among the top names, China’s world number four Gao Zihan is among the favourites for gold in the recurve women’s individual event after a strong 2025 season, including a silver at the Gwangju 2025 World Archery Para Championships and a gold at the Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing.

Korea’s Kwon Hayeon, 17, will also aim to close the season on a high after winning recurve women’s team silver alongside two-time Paralympic Champion Lee Hwa Sook in Gwangju.

Key information

What’s happening?  The fifth Asian Youth Para Games, held for the second time in Dubai, UAE. Archery takes place on 11-12 December at the Dubai Club for People of Determination grounds.

What’s at stake? Titles in individual events across three competition categories.

Who’s competing? A total of 37 archers representing 11 nations: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.

What’s the story? Archery returns to the Asian Youth Para Games after 12 years, having last featured at Kuala Lumpur 2013, making it one of the highlighted sports in the fifth edition of Dubai 2025.

Schedule

• Thursday 11 December: Qualifying and eliminations
• Friday 12 December: Finals

How to watch

Who’s competing?

These are the top-ranked archers competing in Dubai:

• Recurve under-21 women: Gao Zihan, China (world rank: 4)
• Compound under-21 men: Bao Yirui, China (world rank: 48)
• W1 under-21 Women: Wang Liya, China (world rank: 13)

Competition at the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games begins with qualifying on Thursday.