Archery

Key Facts

Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Saturday 4 August
Gold medals up for grabs: 4
Athletes: 128

Archery: A history of the sport

Archery developed as a sport in Medieval England, where tournaments were held to encourage the military art of the Archer in peacetime.

Today’s bows are made from special aluminium alloy and laminated carbon materials. They are designed to shoot aluminium and carbon graphite arrows at speeds of more than 150mph.

For more information on the history of the sport visit the IOC website.

Archery at the Games

Archery made its debut in the 1900s as one of the only sports open to women. It was dropped from the Olympic programme in 1920, but returned at the Munich 1972 Games.
 
The Team competition was introduced at the Seoul 1988 Games.

How to play – and win

Points are scored by hitting a target  consisting of five coloured rings. The closer the arrow lands to the centre of the target, the higher the score achieved.

At the Olympic Games, the targets are 122cm in diameter. Archers shoot their arrows from a distance of 70m.
 
Archers, 64 men and 64 women, compete head-to-head (similar to Tennis) through a series of knock-out ‘elimination’ rounds until only the medalists remain.

Jargon buster

• Boss: the name for an Archery target.
• Nock:  Used to place an arrow on a bow string.
• Robin Hood: describes a shot that splits the shaft of an arrow already in the target.
• Spotter: An official scorer who uses a telescope to identify the arrow’s exact position.
• Bowman: An archer.

Get involved

You might be able to sign up for an Archery course at your local leisure or outdoor sports centre, but the best way to learn is to join an accredited club. For details, visit Archery GB and the International Archery Federation.

See also