British Team Attend World Cup Launch, As Dover Prepares To Welcome Leading International Archers

The Meteksan sponsored FITA World Cup archery event in Dover later this year has been officially launched.

The event - the fourth and final tournament in this season's World Cup series, before the Grand Final in Dubai - takes place between July 31 and August 5. During the launch, dignitaries and event organisers mingled with members of the media at the official event launch, held at Dover's Town Hall.

Also on hand were leading British archers Alison Williamson and Naomi Folkard.

Williamson, 35, won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics three years ago, and qualified for the first ever World Cup Grand Final, in Mexico last September, when she finished fourth.

Folkard, reached the last 16 at the Athens Olympics, and has established herself as one of the world's leading archers. She hopes to be in contention for a place in the grand final by the time the World Cup series arrives in Dover, along with other members of the British team.

"The World Cup is four events, with points for each event going towards the overall tally, and the incentive is to make it to the Grand Final, as Alison did last year," said Folkard, 23, a music graduate who now lives in Kidderminster.

"Hopefully by the time we get to Dover, myself, Alison and all the other British archers involved in the World Cup series will be in contention to make it through to that Grand Final, and it would be lovely to qualify at an event in our own country."

The event will be taking place at the prestigious Duke of York's School in Dover, providing a wonderful setting for such a major international event - which is not lost on the British archers.

"It all looks very impressive, and apart form being a great place to compete in an archery tournament," said Williamson. "It seems that the organisers are doing a fantastic job in making it not just an international archery tournament, but an event in itself."

The event is being supported by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), UK Sport, Kent County Council and the Dover District and Town Councils, with officials from all groups delighted that such a major sporting event is coming to the area.

"We are very proud that the first time an archery World Cup event comes to Britain, it comes to Dover," said Nadeem Aziz, the chief executive of Dover District Council. "This event will really help raise the profile of Dover, and the whole district, at a time when major changes and developments are coming on line for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.

"It very exciting, and we are really looking forward to welcoming so many visitors from the archery community, but also hopefully introducing new people to the sport."

Tom Wenham, from Sportworks UK, the event organisers, said he was overwhelmed by the goodwill shown by so many people since Dover won the right to host the event last year.

"The Town Council, the District Council, the County Council, SEEDA, the Duke of York's School...everybody has been so upbeat about this, and it makes my life so much easier," he said. "This is going to be a fantastic archery event, but it is also going to be a great event for the people of Dover."

The national governing body for archery in the UK is the GNAS (Grand National Archery Society), whose chairman is former Olympian Lynne Evans. "We are all very excited about this event," she said.

"It was a great coup to be awarded the honour of hosting it in our country, and we are delighted that Dover was so keen to be involved, and with the help, support and enthusiasm everyone in and around the town, and the county of Kent, has shown for the event.

"The FITA World Cup is now an annual event on the world archery calendar, and the finest international archers will be taking part at Dover, when there will be all to play for, with it being the fourth and final round of the series, and with it the final chance to qualify for the Grand Final in Dubai."

The first round of the World Cup series took part in Ulsan, Korea earlier this month. The second round is in Verase, Italy, with the Turkish coastal town of Antalya hosting round three.