2025 Olympic Archery Rule Changes: What Competitors Need to Know

The 2025 Olympic archery rules introduce key updates for elite and aspiring competitors. Most notably, the 70-meter qualification round now permits only 3 arrow ends (down from 6), prioritizing precision under pressure. Carbon arrow restrictions now enforce a minimum diameter of 9.3mm for safety, affecting equipment choices for recurve and compound divisions.

For team events, the ranking system now weights matchplay wins 20% heavier than qualification scores, emphasizing head-to-head performance. Additionally, coaching timeouts are reduced to 30 seconds to accelerate pace. Equipment Compliance & What’s New
The World Archery Federation has tightened gear inspection protocols for 2025, requiring pre-tournament bow weight certification to ensure fairness. Recurve archers must now use stabilizers under 30cm, while compound divisions face stricter peep sight alignment checks. Notably, the “clicker rule” now allows only one audible reference point per shot, eliminating multi-click setups. For arrows, the 9.3mm diameter mandate (vs. 2024’s 9.0mm) aims to reduce rebound risks, favoring brands like Easton and Carbon Express with compliant models. Hunters transitioning to Olympic archery should note: broadheads remain banned, and release aids are still compound-only. Pro tip: Schedule early equipment checks to avoid last-minute disqualifications—70% of 2024 appeals involved unapproved modifications.

The 2025 Olympic archery rules Games introduce a revised tiebreaker system: Closest-to-center arrows now trump total X-counts in elimination rounds, rewarding precision over volume. For mixed team events, the 30-second shot clock replaces the 40-second limit, demanding faster decision-making under stress. Weather protocols now allow 2-minute pauses for extreme wind shifts (over 12 mph), a win for recurve archers struggling with drift. Notably, athlete quotas expanded to 64 per gender (up from 56), opening doors for emerging nations. Coaches must adapt to the new “quiet zone” rule, prohibiting verbal cues during finals—silent hand signals only.