The Yemeni Archery Federation inaugurated its inaugural archery championship at Balqis Club in Sana’a, bringing together 96 male and female archers across six capital-based training centers. The four-day tournament is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and financed by the Youth and Sports Development Fund.
Tournament Structure and Opening Competition Rounds
The competition calendar features multiple divisions, including the Golden Arrow for men, the Red Sword for men and women, and dedicated youth categories for both sexes. Opening-day preliminary rounds at Balqis Club determined several finalists. In the Golden Arrow division, Nasr Al-Sayaghi and Elias Hail advanced to Saturday morning’s gold medal match, while Kamal Al-Hilali and Ammar Al-Shumairi secured berths in the third-place playoff.
In the men’s Red Sword tournament, Abdullah Barakat of the Modern Technology University Center reached the final to face Fares Sadaqa from Al-Ittihad Center. Mohammed Al-Hashdi of Kawkab Al-Ulama Center advanced to meet Ghassan Al-Jandari of Al-Ittihad Center for the bronze medal. Meanwhile, the youth men’s division saw Majd Fakhr Al-Din of Qalaat Al-Ma’rifa Center advance to the final against Ahmed Al-Hajj of Basmati Center, with Qais Al-Hadi meeting Ahmed Al-Dhahabi of Al-Ittihad Center for third place. Preliminary rounds for female and youth female competitors in the golden and red bow disciplines are scheduled for Thursday.
Official Attendance and Revolutionary Commemoration
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Nabih Nasser inaugurated the event alongside Deputy Minister for the Sports Sector Ali Hadban and General Director of Sports Activities Hamza Saleh. Federation officials in attendance included General Federation President Ahmed Al-Sayaghi, federation directors Wael Al-Qurashi and Mohammed Al-Ansi, project director Ahmed Al-Tuwaiti, and national team director Youssef Al-Khatri.
Organizers tied the competition directly to the anniversary of the October 14 Revolution. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nabih Nasser stated that holding the tournament during the revolutionary commemorations reflected the ministry’s determination to maintain youth and sports programming despite ongoing difficulties. Nasser emphasized that prioritizing youth and junior divisions serves as a crucial step in rebuilding specialized sports and discovering emerging talent, while praising the organizing committees and federation leadership for executing the event.
Federation Challenges and Development Priorities
Addressing the gathering, Ahmed Al-Sayaghi highlighted the hurdles facing the sport locally, pointing to limited resources and a shortage of specialized equipment that must be imported from abroad. Despite these constraints, Al-Sayaghi noted that participation demonstrates the strong drive of male and female athletes to raise competitive standards and elevate Yemeni sports. Ali Hadban and Hamza Saleh emphasized that strong youth participation forms an essential foundation for building a competitive generation prepared for international representation.
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