Prof Dr Ugur Erdener (Türkiye) was among the recipients of awards and honours presented during the traditional closing session of the World Archery Congress on 3 September.
He had previously been named Honorary President and received a golden collier on the first day of the meeting for his longstanding contributions to the sport. At the closing session, Erdener was recognised with the Gender Equity and Inclusion Award for advancing gender equity in governance and sport, achieving gender balance in permanent committees, increasing women’s representation on the executive board and overseeing the introduction of mixed team events to the Olympic Games.
“I would like to thank you very much for all your great support, and also my dear friends from our executive board for their great contribution to our activities and for having a very nice family all together,” said the outgoing World Archery President.
Other recipients of the gender equity award included Jodie Grinham (Great Britain) and Hilda Gibson (Great Britain).
Grinham was celebrated for demonstrating that disability is no barrier to participation, winning bronze in the compound women’s individual event at Paris 2024 and becoming the first pregnant Paralympic gold medallist in any sport in the mixed team event alongside Nathan MacQueen.
Gibson was recognised as an inspiring role model as athlete, coach, official and mentor, supporting women officials and developing para archery and judge education programmes in Africa.
The Spanish archery federation was presented with the Equal Opportunity Award for remarkable progress towards gender parity and inclusion during the last Olympic cycle. Measures included 50% female representation on its executive board, gender quotas for the general assembly, participation of both male and female athletes at 17 international events, and a dedicated Women and Sport committee to increase participation, train women officials, and improve athlete health.
The USA won the nations’ trophy for both the 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup seasons, ahead of India and Korea. The award ranks national teams based on points accrued across all categories during each year’s outdoor circuit.
