IOC President Thomas Bach (right) has officially declared open the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne ©World Archery

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has officially opened the World Archery Excellence Centre - a state-of-the-art sports facility dedicated to the development of the sport - in Lausanne.

The German was joined at the opening by World Archery President Uğur Erdener along with Cantonal and city authorities, esteemed guests and numerous Olympic champions.

Attendees heard speeches from dignitaries and witnessed a pair of live archery matches.

One was a mixed team recurve contest featuring double Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Ku Bonchan of South Korea.

Also competing was Ku’s compatriot Choi Misun, winner of the women’s team gold at Rio 2016, as well as The Netherlands’ Sjef van den Berg and four-time Olympian Naomi Folkard of Great Britain.

The other match was a compound exhibition between world number one Sara López of Colombia and 2016 Archery World Cup runner-up Sarah Sonnichsen of Denmark.

Bach described the opening of the new facility as a "proud moment" for World Archery before presenting Erdener with a special award.

"Opening this centre is a dream come true," said Erdener, an IOC vice-president. 

"It will become key to World Archery’s development efforts around the globe and, while we have now seen Olympic gold medallists compete between its walls, we hope for many more current and future champions to make use of this dedicated space.

"I would like to thank all who have contributed to and supported this project, especially the IOC President, local authorities and the entire World Archery family."

The World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne is a state-of-the-art sports facility dedicated to the development of the sport for both elite and recreational competitors ©World Archery
The World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne is a state-of-the-art sports facility dedicated to the development of the sport for both elite and recreational competitors ©World Archery

Members of the public were asked to help fund the Excellence Centre earlier this year, with World Archery setting up a crowdfunding website. 

A total of $13,090 (£10,280/€12,274) was raised by 65 backers.

Building the centre was a long-term dream of World Archery's Honorary President James Easton, leader of the organisation from 1989 to 2005 and was also a vice-president of the IOC.

Erdener took on the aspirations of the American with plans first beginning to take shape in 2009.

Ground was eventually broken at a chosen site in the north of Lausanne in late 2014 and Erdener laid the first stone himself in April 2015, alongside Bach.

Envisaged as a hub for Olympic, elite and recreational archery worldwide, the facility will host training camps, individual athletes, judging and coaching seminars and become the primary venue for World Archery development initiatives.

It includes world-class indoor and outdoor ranges for international athletes to train for future Olympic Games.