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Archery

Some authorities date the origin of archery as far back as 25,000 B.C. The earliest people known to have used the bow and arrow were the ancient Egyptians, who adopted the weapon at least 5,000 years ago. The basics of archery are still the same; however, the modern bows used in the sport are not. They are incredibly complicated, augmented by bowsights, bowmarks, foresights, and stabilizers. Olympic archers must have exceptional control, concentration, and upper-body strength to give the arrows the speed and accuracy needed to hit their target. The standard target is 1.22 meters, and there is a standard distance of 70 meters for all events.

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Scoring
The circular target has a series of ten concentric rings around a solid gold center, or "bull's-eye." Ranging outward from the bull's eye, the colors of the rings are red, blue, black, and white. The rings are assigned point values for arrows shot into them ranging from 10 for a bull's-eye to 1 point for an arrow in the outer white ring. Striking the target dead-center is somewhat like standing on the goal line of a football field and hitting an apple under the opposite goal post.

Competition
Men and women compete in separate divisions, and the top 64 men and 64 women from the qualifying rounds then enter head to head direct elimination matches. The winner of each match advances until the gold medal winner is determined. Matches use 18 arrows until the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, which are 12-arrow matches.

Archers can propel arrows at speeds of more than 150 miles per hour.

News, History, and Fast Facts

More sports


Archery

Badminton

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Canoeing & Kayaking

Cycling

Diving

Equestrian

Fencing

Field Hockey

Gymnastics

Judo

Paralympics

Pentathlon

Rowing

Sailing

Shooting

Soccer

Softball

Swimming

Synchronized Swimming

Table Tennis

Taekwondo

Team Handball

Tennis

Track & Field

Triathlon

Volleyball

Water Polo

Weightlifting

Wrestling

General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.


Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
© 2001 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.

 

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