A new category - the individual compound open - has been added to the archery competition at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

The individual compound open is an event which allows archers from all other categories using compound bows to contest for a medal. Twenty men and eight women will be competing in this category in Beijing.

"Since more and more archers were moving from recurve to compound, we started the new category," said Marco Carpignano, the International Paralympic Committee's PPSF classifier.

The decision by the IPC to add the new division to the competition lineup has been lauded by archers.

"It was in 2004 that they allowed this spot to open, so I was pretty excited. It's been a long road," said Canadian archer Kevin Evans.

(Xinhua news Agency September 5, 2008)