The Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. External source.
This year’s Archery World Cup leg in Paris will double as the test event for next year’s Olympic Games, it has been announced.
Archery in Paris 2024 will take place at a temporary location on the Esplanade des Invalides, one of the most beautiful monuments in Paris and set to be one of the most eye-catching spots next year.
A large green space in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, the Esplanade stands opposite the magnificent Hôtel des Invalides.
In the heart of Paris, “history, culture and high-level sport will come together in this exceptional setting, where archers will aim for an Olympic or Paralympic medal,” according to the French Olympic authorities.
The Hôtel des Invalides was built during the reign of Louis XIV in 1687 as a military hospital and nursing home for war veterans.
Today, the building includes museums and monuments of French military history, as well as the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.
In front of it, the elegant Pont Alexandre III bridge links it to the Grand Palais on the right bank of the Seine.
“It is flanked by rows of trees on its eastern and western sides,” said Paris 2024.
“Its location, in the heart of Paris, in an area dedicated to the Games, promises a unique experience for athletes and spectators.”
Paris will be the fourth leg of this year’s Archery World Cup and will take place between August 15-20, with the final taking place at Esplanade des Invalides.
“It will be the only opportunity for athletes to compete in the temporary arena at the Invalides before the Games,” World Archery said.
Shanghai will host a stage of the Archery World Cup for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
That is scheduled to be the second leg of the series which will take place between May 16 and 21.
The Archery World Cup will open in Antalya in an event that will take place between April 18 and 23.
It will be the 16th time that the resort in Turkey has held a World Cup event.
The third stage will take place in Medellín, the seventh time that the Colombian city hosts a stage, between June 13 and 18.
This year’s series will mark the 17th time the Archery World Cup has been held since its launch in 2006 and, for the second year in a row, the final will be in Mexico after last year’s event in Tlaxcala.
This time it will take place in Hermosillo, a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, on September 9 and 10.
More than $430,000 in prize money will be awarded on the circuit in 2023, which has more than doubled in the last four years.
The biggest increase this year comes in all four stages, where the total jackpot has gone from $32,800 to $49,200 as checks will be awarded up to eighth place instead of fourth.
Each Hyundai Archery World Cup champion will receive $32,400 this season.
The best 32 archers – eight in each category – during the season qualify to compete in the final of the Archery World Cup for the four tour champion trophies.
An San and Kim Woojin from South Korea, Sara López from Colombia and Mike Schloesser from the Netherlands are the reigning champions.
Via: INSIDE THE GAMES
