the shafts are 'barrelled', tapering towards both ends from the middle, to reduce both weight and air resistance. Ski archery An event very similar to the sport of biathlon except a recurve bow is used in place of a gun. The athletes ski around a cross-country track and there are two stances in which the athlete must shoot the targets: kneeling and standing. During competition the skis may not be removed at any time. The athlete may unfasten the ski when shooting in the kneeling position but must keep the foot in contact with the ski. The shooting distance is and the targets in diameter. In certain events, for every missed target, the athlete must ski one penalty loop. The loop is long. In summer or regions with little snow, the European run archery is a mentionable alternative. Traditional competitions The following are not listed on the WA website but are competitions that have a long tradition in their respective countries. Japanese archery Beursault A traditional northern French and Belgian archery contest. Archers teams shoot alternately at two targets facing each other, away. A perpendicular array of wooden walls secures a path parallel to the shooting range. After each round, the archers take their own arrow and shoot directly in the opposite direction (thus having opposite windage). One always shoots the same arrow, supposedly the best built, as it was difficult in medieval times to have constant arrow quality. The round black-and-white target mimics the size of a soldier: its diameter is shoulder-wide, the center is heart-sized. Popinjay (or Papingo) A form of archery originally derived from shooting birds on church steeples. Popinjay is popular in Belgium, and in Belgian Clubs internationally but little known elsewhere. Traditionally, archers stand within of the bottom of a mast and shoot almost vertically upwards with 'blunts' (arrows with rubber caps on the front instead of a point), and 'flu-flu' fletchings (very large, wound round the shaft to quickly reduce speed and distance of flight) the object being to dislodge any one of a number of wooden 'birds'. These birds must be one Cock, four Hens, and a minimum of twenty-four Chicks. A Cock scores 5 points when hit and knocked off its perch; a Hen, 3; and a Chick, 1 point. A horizontal variation with Flemish origins also exists and is also practiced in Canada and the United States A Papingo is also