USA Archery provides advance notice of the selection procedures that will be used to nominate teams for international events on the USA Archery website under International Team Selection Procedures. These procedures are designed to provide a fair and consistent system for forming a competitive team, and to allow athletes to properly evaluate and explore their options.
The selection procedures for the upcoming World Archery Championships outlined several requirements for participation in the U.S. Team Trials, but did not include an Intent to Compete form as a requirement. The 2017 AAE Arizona Cup qualification round, which stood as the first stage of the World Archery Championships - U.S. Team Trials, had required participants to have signed an Intent to Compete form to participate in the Trials. This meant that several archers who wished to compete in the Trials but had not completed the Intent to Compete form, were not included in the scoring process for the Trials. The discrepancy was raised in an official appeal, which was heard by the USA Archery Board of Justice (BOJ).
USA Archery's by-laws protect an athlete's right to compete as outlined in Section 5.2(d) and any athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator or official may file a complaint pertaining to any alleged denial, or alleged threat to deny, of that individual's opportunity to compete in a USAA sanctioned competition or in a protected competition as referred to in the Sports Act and the USOC Bylaws. The BOJ is an independent committee who administers and oversees all administrative grievances and right to compete matters filed with USA Archery. They identify individuals who would be fair and impartial and who would have the qualifications and ability to serve on hearing panels. They hear and render a decision, or appoint a panel to hear and render a decision, on grievances and disciplinary matters.
The BOJ heard this appeal and decided in favor of these individuals. Because there was no express statement in any written materials that participation in the Trials required a separate registration or intent to compete, the BOJ has concluded that registration for the Arizona Cup and participation in the qualification round are all that was required for participation in the Trials event.
Therefore, all archers who competed in the qualification round of the AAE Arizona Cup are officially instated into the World Archery Championships - U.S. Team Trials and points will be awarded for that round accordingly. The second stage of the Trials will include the qualification round at the Easton Foundations' Gator Cup on May 27th, and on May 29th, round robin matches for the top 8 archers in each division following the combined qualification events.
Archers who competed in the Arizona Cup qualification round are welcome to participate in the second stage of the Trials at the Gator Cup next weekend. If you have not yet registered for this event and are interested in participating, you may sign up here.
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