Türkiye's growing success in international archery has raised expectations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where national team technical director Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin says the country can realistically dream of multiple medals, including gold.
Ergin spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) during the national team's training camp in Antalya, saying the medals won by Turkish archers at major competitions in 2026 have provided strong reasons for optimism ahead of the next Olympic cycle.
Türkiye won medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, and Ergin said the next major objective is to add a medal in the women's competition at Los Angeles.
Ergin said the national team has already built its preparation program around the 2028 Games, with the qualification process becoming increasingly demanding.
Türkiye wants to send a large contingent of archers to Los Angeles, but Ergin said the path to qualification will run through the 2027 European Games in Istanbul and the World Championships in Medellin, Colombia.
"Getting an Olympic quota has become much harder under the new system," Ergin said. "It has gone from being difficult to extremely difficult. Compound archery will also compete at the Olympics for the first time in Los Angeles, while the number of available quotas in recurve has decreased with the new system."
He said the changes mean Turkish archers will need to be exceptionally well prepared and perform at a high level throughout the qualification process.
Türkiye's immediate targets include strong performances at the European Games in Istanbul and the World Championships in Medellin, where Ergin wants both the men's and women's teams to compete for medals.
The results achieved by Turkish archers in recent seasons have also changed the team's expectations for Los Angeles.
"Our athletes have won such impressive medals this year and in previous years that it has become impossible not to dream based on those results," Ergin said.
"As the Turkish national team technical director, I cannot say that I do not dream of winning more than one medal at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The medals we have won in competitions before the Olympics make all of us dream of at least a few medals in Los Angeles, including gold medals."
Ergin, however, stressed the importance of managing expectations and ensuring that ambition does not become unnecessary pressure on the athletes.
"We need to be measured and avoid putting too much pressure on the athletes," he said.
Ergin credited Türkiye's recent progress to a development system that follows athletes through multiple stages, from national team selection to preparation and support at international competitions.
He said the system is designed to identify and develop talent well before athletes reach the senior international level.
"We have a very good chain system in terms of selecting the national team, preparing the national team for international competitions and supporting them at those competitions," Ergin said.
He added that the federation and the government provide extensive resources to keep the system operating effectively.
"We work with a large team," Ergin said. "The opportunities provided by both the ministry and our federation are very good. We also have a system in which we plan every moment of our athletes' lives and their overall development."
Ergin said the development program begins when athletes are 15 and covers equipment, training facilities, coaching programs and other areas of their sporting development.
"We support the athletes in every aspect of their development from the age of 15," he said. "With the support of our state, we provide assistance with equipment, training facilities, training content and development programs."
He said Türkiye's approach has also attracted attention from other countries, adding that several nations closely follow the country's training and development model.
"This is a source of pride for us, but it is also tiring," Ergin said.
Another factor behind Türkiye's recent success, Ergin said, is the depth of the national team.
Rather than relying on a small group of elite archers, Türkiye has a broad pool of athletes capable of producing performances at a similarly high level. That competition, he said, strengthens the team and creates the conditions for sustained success.
