Champion archer David Poyner, who is registered blind, has won crucial
backing from the sport’s world governing body in his campaign to get
visually-impaired archers included in the Paralympic Games and other
international competitions.
David, who lives in Sale and is chairman of British Blind Sport Archery and a member of the
Bowmen of Bruntwood, Stockport, has been fighting for years to get visually-impaired
archers included in the Paralympics.
During the London Paralympics, members of archery’s world governing body, World
Archery, met representatives of VI archery in Britain, led by David, who is also chairman of
St. Dunstan’s archery club.
The result is an agreement for World Archery to hold a three-day seminar and competition
next summer, probably in the UK under the auspices of Archery GB, to exchange
information, look at coaching techniques and classifications, with a competition based on
ideas from David and colleagues from the world of VI archery.
If the competition is successful and enough archers take part, it creates an opportunity for a
VI division to be included in the World Archery Para Championships in Bangkok in
November, 2013.
If that happens it lays the foundations for VI archers to shoot in other international
competitions, including the Paralympics.
David and colleagues have suggested that for international competitions, totally blind
archers (B1) should continue to shoot using a blindfold but that two other classifications (B2
and B3) should be included. These would be for archers with limited vision, not wearing a
blindfold, but with all VI archers using tactile sighting aids. Men and women, using recurve
and compound bows, would shoot together using an Olympic round – 30 metres on an
80cm face.
Experienced VI coaches and archers support the format.
The reason archery for blind and partially-sighted competitors hasn’t made it into the
Paralympics is because, according to World Archery, not enough people have come forward
to take part in international competitions they have promoted.
But according to David, archers have been put off by the limitation of all competitors – not
just totally blind archers – having to wear a blindfold. David says partially-sighted archers
prefer to use what limited vision they have.
The International Blind Sports Federation accept B1 (totally blind), B2 and B3 (partiallysighted) for archery.
“When the International Paralympic Committee accepted VI archery in 2005, they said it
would be under IBSF classifications, which they chose to ignore, meaning all VI archers
would have to wear blindfolds,” said David. “As the majority of VI archers are not totally
blind, why should they worsen their disability to compete in the Paralympics.”
David has shot internationally, using a compound bow, as part of the GB visually-impaired
archery squad, and holds several national records.
In December, 2010, David, now in his 50’s, received a donated kidney from his partner, Jane
Pittaway-Hampson. David has fought chronic illness for years. He suffers from a rare
genetic condition that affects the way his body produces energy. He became partiallysighted because of a stroke during a 30-day coma 13 years ago brought on by the genetic
condition. He took up archery following the coma, and continued despite another coma
several years later, while fighting off continual illness.
Archery has been an historic part of the Paralympics. It featured in the first Stoke
Mandeville Games in 1948, the predecessor of the modern Paralympics, and has featured in
every Paralympics since the first Games in 1960.
South Korean Im Dong-Hyun is the world’s supreme example of what a VI archer can
achieve. Registered blind, the archer broke his own world record at the London Olympics in
the ranking rounds and helped his team break the team world record by 18 points, with the
team going on to win a bronze medal. The target, 70 metres away, is just a “colourful blur”
to the Korean. He uses a recurve bow and a normal bow sight.
Ends.