VISIT ABQ News:
ALBUQUERQUE — More than 850 of the nation’s top young archers, along with their families and coaches, are aiming high as they gather in Albuquerque for the 2025 WIAWIS USA Archery Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Target Nationals and JOAD U.S. Open. This elite youth tournament will take place from July 16-20 at Balloon Fiesta Park.
For the second consecutive year, Albuquerque is hosting this prestigious USA Archery event, reinforcing the city’s growing reputation as a premier destination for sports tourism. The competition is expected to bring over 2,700 visitors and contribute approximately $2.1 million in direct spending to the local economy.
The JOAD Target Nationals will be held over two days, followed by the JOAD U.S. Open – a head-to-head elimination format for the top 64 archers in each category. Medals will be awarded for both individual and team events, concluding with a team round on Sunday.
“Visit Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Sports Commission are proud to once again welcome USA Archery athletes from across the U.S. and around the globe,” said Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque. “This event highlights our city’s commitment to youth sports and showcases the world-class facilities and hospitality that Albuquerque offers.”
Last year’s tournament in Albuquerque saw 17 new national records set. This year, the event expands to include international competitors from Canada, Chinese Taipei, Peru and Singapore, adding a global flair to the five-day competition.
The tournament features barebow, recurve and compound disciplines for youth archers ages 8 to 20. All events are free and open to the public, and spectators are encouraged to bring their own chairs for comfortable viewing.
Innovative field preparation will again be made possible using Turf Tank, the autonomous, GPS-guided robot that paints precise competition lines at Balloon Fiesta Park—a testament to the City of Albuquerque’s investment in cutting-edge sports infrastructure.
Those interested in volunteering to support this year’s event can emailAbeyta@VisitABQ.org.
For schedules and more information, visit usarchery.org.
About Visit Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Sports Commission
Visit Albuquerque is an accredited destination marketing organization (DMO), and a private, not-for-profit organization [501(c)(6)]. The mission of Visit Albuquerque is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a convention and visitor destination, as well as a premier sports destination through the efforts of the Albuquerque Sports Commission (a division of Visit Albuquerque). For more information, go to www.VisitABQ.org.