Mexico has opened a new specialized archery training center in Tijuana as it builds its Olympic program toward Los Angeles 2028 and prepares to host the archery World Cup Final this month in Saltillo, Coahuila.
The Centro de Excelencia de Tiro con Arco, or Archery Center of Excellence, opened Saturday under the auspices of the federal sports commission Conade, the Baja California government, the state’s sports institute and World Archery Mexico.
The facility is part of a broader project to establish archery facilities in Tijuana and Mérida, Yucatán, at a cost of more than 40 million pesos, then worth about US $2.2 million, Conade said last year. Officials did not specify how much was allocated to each site.
Mexico has emerged as an international archery power, with four athletes currently ranked in the top six of their divisions, plus a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the country’s first World Archery Championships gold in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2025.
The current world rankings show Andrea Maya Becerra No. 1 in women’s compound, Matías Grande No. 3 in men’s recurve, Sebastián García Flores No. 4 in men’s compound and Ana Paula Vázquez Flores No. 6 in women’s recurve. Becerra is from Jalisco, while Grande, García and Vázquez are Coahuila natives.
At the 2026 Pan American Archery Championships held June 22-28 in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec, Tlaxcala, Mexico won seven medals, including two golds.
The new Tijuana center includes rehabilitated synthetic turf, an archery range with 20-22 shooting lanes, lighting, a gym and an equipment room. It is intended for national-team training and talent development.
World Archery Mexico President Gabriel Ramos attended the inauguration and said Mexico is working with 14 archers vying for spots on the national team: eight on Team A and six on Team B.
The approach is designed to deepen domestic competition ahead of the 2028 Olympics. Mexico’s compound-bow athletes recently spent seven weeks training in Switzerland before a camp in Tlaxcala, Ramos added.
The ceremony also drew Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda and Conade Director General Rommel Pacheco.
The next international test for Mexico’s archers will come Sept. 12-13 at the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, following qualifying stages in Mexico (Puebla), China, Turkey and Spain.
The two-day competition will bring together 32 elite archers for knockout matches in Saltillo, Coahuila’s capital. The season-ending event is separate from the World Archery Championships.
With reports from Quadratin, ALMA Plus TV, Esto and Infobae
