Archery as a Sport

Archery and The Olympic Games

In the first ever Olympics held in Greece, the name of archery never featured as a sports event. The Olympics have been in existence for the last 1000 years and it is quite possible that it was an event in these games anytime in the past. For the first time archery for men was incorporated in the Olympics in 1900 whereas for women it began in 1904.

During the early years of Olympics, there was no regularity in the game rules and archery was not included as an event any more after 1920. It took many years before all countries accepted the international rules for competition, but archery was able to return as an Olympic sport to the 1972 Munich Games. The event included team as well as individual participation from 1988.

From 1992, the schedule of the event is head-to-head competition amongst the top 64 athletes. The four events in archery include one each for men and women individual events and one each for men and women in teams. In the individual events for men and women, players throw 72 arrows at the bull's eye target standing at a distance of 70 meters which is 229 feel and 8 inches. The player must shoot the arrows within 40 seconds of each other and aim for a score of 720 and an overtime shot called 'sudden death' takes place when there is a tie.

Just like the individual events, in the team events each archer throws 72 arrows standing from a distance of 70 meters and each of the 16 teams has 3 archers.  Each archer shoots an arrow and the arrow which gets closest to the target, wins the game. The target is made up of ten concentric rings and you can score 1 point if your arrow hits the outermost ring with the score going up by 1 point as you get closer to the center, which if hit, you score 10 points.

The recurve bow is used Olympic Archery and an arrow shot by this bow travels at more than 150 mph. These specialized bows are made from wood, fiberglass and graphite which stabilize the direction of the arrow which goes in a straight line and helps in specific target aiming. The total cost of the equipment goes over 00 with strings made from hydrocarbon or from Kelvar and the arrows from aluminum or carbon graphite.

Athletes who participate in Olympics archery events would have gone through training for about 10 years. It's essential to develop perfect form (or as close to perfect as humanly possible). You need the right coach and the ideal equipment too. Fortunately, archery is much less expensive to pursue than many other sports. The game must be learnt thoroughly and you have to spend a lot of time reading about it and discuss with other archers before you start to partake in various local and national tournaments but remember practice is critical and the more you do it the more proficient you would become.

Archery as a sport is also a feasible option for athletes with disabilities. Take the instance of Neroli Fairhall, who as a woman paraplegic not only competed in the Olympics but this woman from New Zealand, was also a gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games. This game is such that you can enjoy it with all the members of your family and if you so desire, can go on playing it for the rest of your life.