Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s archers are hitting the bull’s-eye thanks to passionate grassroots coaches and high-quality domestic tournaments.

Wei Chun-heng (魏均珩‬) drew his bow and the audience at the Gelora Bung Karno Archery Field in Jakarta fell into pin drop silence. Requiring a perfect score of 10 to claim gold for his team, the Taiwan athlete fixed his gaze on the target and loosed the arrow. The bolt pierced the bull’s-eye, securing a 5-3 win over South Korea and handing Taiwan its first-ever triumph in men’s team recurve at the Asian Games.

“This victory has strengthened our bond and given us the confidence to challenge for even greater honors,” said Luo Wei-min (羅偉旻), who along with Wei and Tang Chih-chun (湯智鈞) made up the nation’s three-man squad at the 2018 event in Indonesia. Their win capped a stellar tournament for Taiwan’s archers. In total, the country earned two golds, one silver and one bronze in the sport to rank second behind perennial powerhouse South Korea.

Top Flight

Taiwan is a frequent contender for top honors in international archery competitions. According to governing body World Archery (WA), the nation’s men’s and women’s recurve teams were ranked second globally as of December. Recurve is a type of bow and the only variety permitted in the Olympics. The country’s best result at the Summer Games came in 2004, when the men’s team bagged silver in Athens. Taiwan was also the only Asian nation besides South Korea to claim a medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, winning bronze in women’s team recurve.

Chiu Ping-kung (邱炳坤‬), who represented the country in archery at the 1988 Seoul Games and is now president of National Taiwan Sport University in the northern city of Taoyuan, attributed the country’s prowess to the dedication of grassroots coaches. “They’ve consistently proved effective at nurturing young talent and spotlighting a discipline that traditionally didn’t garner much attention from the public,” he said.

According to Lee Shui-ho (李水河), secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Archery Association (CTAA), more than 170 educational institutions from elementary to tertiary level have coaching programs in Taiwan. A total of 20 are awarded funding by the association each year based on a number of factors including results in domestic tournaments and their need for equipment upgrades, he added.

The subsidies are sourced from government financial support for the CTAA and can reach NT$200,000 (US$6,495) per school. This state investment has played an important role in promoting the sport in Taiwan. Archer teams are expensive propositions, with a child’s competition bow costing upwards of NT$70,000 (US$2,270).

A frequent funding recipient is Da Chu Elementary School in Taoyuan. Since the establishment of its archery program in 2002, it has emerged as a leading cultivator of young talent. It counts Asian Games gold medal winner Wei among its graduates.

Lee Wan-yi (李婉儀), one of two archery coaches at Da Chu, said that every student is introduced to the activity in third grade through taking lessons in physical education class and watching a short documentary about its teams made by a local children’s TV station. “We also arrange demonstrations at official events like school fairs to showcase the sport and build a sense of pride in our accomplishments,” she added.

The skills of Da Chu’s young archers were on display at last year’s Presidential Cup, the CTAA’s leading annual tournament for competitors at all levels from junior to amateur adult. A record 40 of the approximately 50 elementary schools in Taiwan with coaching programs entered the event. At the finals in November, Da Chu won the boys’ and finished fourth in the girls’ team categories. “We’re committed to scouting for new talent and promoting archery among schoolchildren to help consolidate the sport in Taiwan,” Lee said.

Championship Series

Given the healthy state of the youth ranks, the CTAA is focusing its development efforts on retaining skilled practitioners. At present, the majority give up the sport after graduating from college. “That’s a real pity because unlike athletes in other fields, archers can remain competitive into their 50s and beyond,” said Lin Cheng-hsien (林政賢), Taiwan’s head archery coach at the 2018 Asian Games.

As part of its efforts to boost retention rates, the association is launching a new championship series for adults in March. It will feature five corporate-sponsored teams, each consisting of four men and four women athletes as well as two coaches. The enterprises are expected to contribute about NT$5 million (US$162,340) apiece to cover such costs as equipment purchases, monthly remuneration for participants and prize money for top performers. “This tournament can help strengthen the national setup by encouraging archers who peak late to stick with the sport,” Lin said.

The series will lead to more intense competition and greater public interest, bolstering the development of archery in Taiwan, according to Lei Chien-ying (雷千瑩‬), one of the nation’s top talents. Ranked ninth globally in women’s recurve by WA as of December, the 28-year-old is working with Lin at the National Sports Training Center (NSTC) in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, alongside other top athletes such as Wei and Luo, to secure qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“South Korea’s strength is due to a large pool of active archers, many of whom get corporate backing,” Lei said. “In Taiwan, most quit the sport by the time they reach my age, so it’s easy for the remaining competitors to get complacent. Hopefully, this will change with the launch of the new series.”

Bright Future

According to CTAA’s Lee, the association has also rolled out reforms to the Presidential Cup in a bid to raise the visibility of the sport. Prior to 2018, all events were held in the same location, but last year qualifying tournaments were organized in 10 spots nationwide before the finals were staged at National Chung Cheng University Nov. 3-17 in the southern county of Chiayi.

Another significant development is a mooted archery center at the government-funded NSTC. While still in the early planning phase, the proposed structure is expected to complement the existing outdoor target field by adding facilities for bow configuration, sports psychology and weight training. “Greater investment is warranted given the country’s elite status in the sport,” Lin said.

With a new championship and training hub on the horizon, the future of archery in Taiwan looks bright. This view is reinforced by the growing number of elementary school coaching programs and the dedication of enrolled youngsters. Among the students setting their sights on archery glory is Da Chu sixth-grader Lee Po-kuan (李柏寬), who cites school alumnus Wei as his inspiration. “He’s my idol,” the 12-year-old said. “I chose to take up archery because I want to be like him, competing overseas and winning honors for Taiwan.”

A member of Da Chu’s victorious boys’ team at the 2018 Presidential Cup, Lee has decided to continue his education at Yung Feng High School in Taoyuan, another local institution renowned for its archery program. “This sport is my passion,” he said. “It’s given me a clear goal in life.” 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw