Recognition

Provincial & National Colours

ABO affiliation to Archery SA was approved at the 2009 Archery Congress on May 16, 2009 in Rosebank.
Archery South Africa (ASA) is the overall controlling body for all formal archery activities in South Africa and recognized and registered with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the Department of Sports and Recreation.
Archery South Africa ensures that the standards of formal archery are consistent and sustainable and is a vital link between the sport and the sporting authorities in South Africa.

With this all in place, there are now some structures rules and formalities that will be applicable to archers wanting to attain their associations Provincial and National recognition in the ABO’s 2-D & 3-D disciplines..

They include:

• Membership
• Sanctioned events
• Qualifying Criteria for Provincial and National recognition
• Anti Doping Policies

Membership

Membership with the ABO was never a prerequisite to compete in any of the Triple Crown / Provincial or National events.

Your membership must however be in good standing to qualify for your associations Provincial & National Colors, or selection to any team competing Internationally.

Peruse the Membership page to familiarize yourself with the Membership benefits for 2010.

Sanctioned events

Only events officially sanctioned by the ABO / IBO and its provincial associations will contribute to your weighted average needed to attain your associations Provincial and National Colors.

They are:

• The ABO Triple Crown Events ( Leg 1 / 2 / 3 )
• The ABO Provincial Championships
• The ABO National Championships ( 2 Day Event )
• Any sanctioned IBO Event. ( State or World Championship )

Qualifying Criteria for Associations Provincial and National recognition:

Provincial Recognition

• To be eligible for Provincial colors, an archers membership must be in good standing with the African Bowhunting Organization (ABO)
• He must also compete in the ABO Provincial Championships of the Province he is registered in. ( An Exemption request can be submitted)
• An archer must obtain the prescribed provincial Weighted Average (WA) by the last sanctioned ABO event before the national event in that calendar year.
• Archers successful in exceeding the (WA) by that date, will have earned the right to compete, at the National event, in their Provincial Teams &  Colors.
• Archers that exceed it only at the conclusion of the National event, will earn the right to compete in those colors for the remainder of the following years Tournament Calendar.

National Recognition

• To be eligible for National colors, an archers membership must be in good standing with the African Bowhunting Organization (ABO)
• He must also compete in the ABO Provincial Championships of the Province he is registered in ( An Exemption request can be submitted)
• To be eligible for any International Team, you must have competed in the most recent National Championship event. ( An Exemption request can be submitted)
• An archer must obtain the prescribed national Weighted Average (WA) by the last sanctioned ABO event before the National Championships of that year.
• Archers successful in exceeding the national (WA) by that date, will have earned the right to compete, at the National event, in their associations National Colors
• Alternatively (90) Days before the IBO World Championships / or any International event a International-Team will attend.

Weighted Average  (WA)

A Weighted Average (WA) scoring system is a calculation of a shooters average scores over a revolving 12 month period.
For 2009 / 10 a minimum of (4) scores will be needed to register a WA.
A weighted percentage (%) will be applied to each score - the most recent score counting the highest percentage (%), whereas the oldest score has the lowest percentage (%) applied.
The Weighted Average (WA) scoring system plays a vital role in the awarding of the ABO’s Provincial & National Colors and possible inclusion onto the International Teams for International events.

The WA scoring system will afford you the maximum opportunity to attain the National & Provincial criteria. When entering enough events in the revolving (12) month period, your lowest scores can be omitted from the WA calculating formula. And good scores can help you surpass the Provincial & National Criteria, especially if they are some of your most recent scores.

How do I register a Weighted Average (WA):

An ABO registered archer must have competed in a minimum of (4) sanctioned  ABO tournaments within a revolving 12 month period.
From these sanctioned ABO tournaments the best (4) scores (S) are taken and the following calculation is applied:
S1 being the Oldest
S4 being your Most Recent (MR)
Most Recent may not be older than 90 Days

Weighted Average (WA) = (S1 x 0,15)+(S2 x 0,20)+(S3 x 0,3)+(S4 x 0,35)
( This page was last updated on December 5, 2009 )

Qualifying Criteria for the respective Classes:

Allowance for a 3 month period to make application for colors.

ABO NATIONAL TEAMS SELECTION

* We are still awaiting the Team Selection Criteria from the IBO.
* It will be updated as soon as it is available.

Anti Doping

As an affiliation to Archery SA (ASA) from 2009, we need to align with current anti doping policies.
Each year the SA Institute for Drug-free Sport (SAIDS) publishes a list of several THOUSAND medicines under their over-the-counter and prescription brand names, indicating which ones are okay to use, and which ones not.

The easiest way to get caught using a restricted substance in sport is by using one without knowing that it is one you're not allowed to use. That's why the ‘SAIDS-List of prohibited substances is one no sportsperson should be without.
Fortunately, we estimate that less than ten percent of the extensive list is marked in red, meaning that you'd be in trouble when caught taking it.

The list varies from cough mixtures to good old fashioned Disprin (They're fine to take) and esoteric stuff like Fraxiparine.
The list is in the format of a handy A6 size Z-fold pocket guide, so you can easily take it with when visiting your pharmacy.

Copies are available from SAIDS, telephone (021) 761 8034.

Alternatively you can visit their website and download the 2009 Lists from there.

No matter what level you compete or participate at, it is your responsibility to know the rules that apply to you, and to comply with those rules. Although doping is not a common occurrence in the sport of archery, any doping offence is treated very seriously, and can have dire consequences. Although you may not be taking a drug or substance to gain a competitive advantage, simply having certain substances in your body can result in a positive test (known as an adverse analytical finding).

Anti-doping rules operate on the concept is known as “strict liability” where the intent to gain an advantage or to dope is not relevant to the finding of doping. The rules are written in such as way that if you have a prohibited substance in your body, you are guilty of a doping offence (the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” does not apply). A doping infraction and possible sanctions against you can be the result of being ignorant of the rules.
Even if a drug you are taking is medically necessary, you must declare its use to the proper authority in order to avoid an infraction if you are chosen for testing.

Although the majority of doping control testing is focused on higher level archers and athletes, random testing can be conducted at various tournaments that may lead to “recreational archers” being selected for doping control. You do not have to be a member of any organization, national team, or be an Excellence member to be selected for testing. Even if you have not signed a form or agreed to be tested, you can still be selected for testing. Once selected, you must agree to the testing or face sanctions for refusing to be tested. Because of this possibility, every archer should understand and follow the rules.

Be aware that many over the counter medications, herbal remedies, and nutritional supplements can result in a positive drug test. In particular, herbal remedies and nutritional supplements present a risk to athletes because these substances are not highly regulated. If you take such substances, be aware that the label ingredients may not reflect what is actually in the substance.

Certain prescription medications are prohibited for all sports, and some are prohibited specifically for archery. In certain circumstances, athletes can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) if the prohibited medication they take is medically necessary.