World Archery to elect federation’s 10th president in Gwangju
The 56th World Archery Congress will take place on 2-3 September 2025 in Gwangju (Korea) with a record 151 of the international federation’s member associations represented by delegates or proxies.
Important decisions about the future of the organisation will be taken, including several competition rule changes and the election of the 10th World Archery President. The vote will take place on the morning of Wednesday 3 September 2025.
Incumbent Prof Dr Ugur Erdener has reached the constitutional term limit after serving 20 years in the role.
The meeting precedes the 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships and World Archery Para Championships, which will both also held in the Korean city. Sessions from Congress will be streamed live on World Archery’s institutional communications channel.
Schedule
| Session | Date | Start time* | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction and reports | Tuesday 2 September | 09h00 local / 00h00 UTC | YouTube |
| Motions and proposals | Tuesday 2 September | 14h00 local / 05h00 UTC | YouTube |
| Candidate presentations | Tuesday 2 September | 17h00 local / 08h00 UTC | YouTube |
| Elections | Wednesday 3 September | 09h00 local / 00h00 UTC | YouTube |
| Awards | Wednesday 3 September | 15h30 local / 06h30 UTC | YouTube |
*Start times liable to change according to the progress of the meeting.
Decisions
Delegates will consider 21 motions to amend the World Archery Rulebook during Congress.
The proposals include a complete rewrite of Books 2 (championships) and 3 (target archery), as well as major revisions to Book 4 (field archery), intended to simplify the wording and prepare for the International Paralympic Committee requirement for a dedicated book on para archery.
Among the institutional motions is a proposal to make the gender equity and inclusion committee permanent, strengthening the federation’s long-term commitment to equality.
Elections
The most-talked-about subject at the 56th World Archery Congress is the election of the new president.
There are two candidates, World Archery’s current secretary general Tom Dielen and former executive board member Greg Easton, whose father James Easton previously served as the eighth president from 1989 to 2005.
There are 30 positions across the governance structure being selected at Congress, with 64 approved candidates from 33 countries standing for election.
Other key positions include vice president (three candidates for two spots – Thomas Han, Mark Miller and Carina Olsson) and executive board member (11 nominees for three spots).
Due to the staggered elections and term limits required by World Archery’s constitution, there are elections for open positions in all eight permanent committees.
If Motion 2 is approved on the opening day of Congress and the ad-hoc gender equity and inclusion committee becomes permanent, there will also be elections for four positions (four nominees) on this body.
Governance
Congress serves as the governing body of World Archery, at which the sport’s rules are set or changed and officers are elected. It consists of delegates from the international federation’s 160-plus national member associations, as well as representatives of committees and the executive board.
The event takes place every two years to elect officials, vote on changes to the World Archery Rulebook and receive reports on the federation’s operations and finances, as well as hear from key stakeholders and upcoming major event hosts.
