Singapore hosts Archery Asia Cup 2023 first time in 20 years

SINGAPORE — After two decades, Singapore is currently hosting the Archery Asia Cup 2023 (Stage 3), taking place from Jun 5 to 10 at the Bukit Gombak AcetiveSg Stadium with the world ranking tournament featuring over 200 national archers representing 22 Asian countries. Singapore last hosted the Asian Archery Grand Prix, the precursor to the Asia Cup, in 2003, and Team Singapore won two gold medals in the individual compound men’s and compound men’s team categories.

The opening ceremony was held on Monday, and it was officiated by Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Social and Family Development. Qualifying rounds began on Tuesday, Jun 6, with the individual events followed by the team matches. The recurve and compound events will start on Thursday, and the finals for all the matches in the various categories will take place on Saturday, Jun 10.

“We are honoured to be hosting the Asia Cup once again after 20 years and to be welcoming Asia’s top archers and their fans to Singapore. This comes in line with Sport Singapore’s vision in making Singapore as Asia’s sports hub for premiere sport competitions. We hope this tournament will be able to generate greater interest in archery among the youths and provide our local archers the opportunity to compete on a global level in front of their supporters,” said Chiang Chai Liang, Vice President of the Archery Association of Singapore.

2021 SEA Games gold medallist in the compound women’s individual category Contessa Loh performed a balloon shooting during the opening ceremony to kickstart the 2023 Asia Cup Stage 3. Also present at the opening ceremony on Monday Su Chun Wei, Chief of Singapore Sport Institute, Sanguan Kosavinta, President of Southeast Asia Archery Federation and Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol, Vice President of World Archery Asia. 

Team Singapore will be led by coach Chong Yap Lee who has 16 years of experience in coaching national archers and has coached the national archery teams of the Philippines, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Besides Loh, the Singapore archery team will also be counting on Madeline Ong, who won the bronze medal at the Vietnam SEA Games in the same category as her teammate. Loh and Ong also won a bronze medal with Nur Syahidah Alim in the compound women’s team event at the 2023 Asia Cup Stage 1 in Chinese Taipei earlier in the year.

According to the Archery Association of Singapore, Team Singapore archers will compete in either the recurve or compound category as individuals, in groups of three for team matches, and in groups of two for mixed team matches. In total, 11 archers from the Singapore archery team will be participating in the individual, team and mixed team matches.