Key facts

Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Monday 6 August
Medal events: 15
Athletes: 390

Having been practised competitively for centuries, the tense and demanding sport of Shooting is now popular all over the world. At Beijing, marksmen and women from more than 100 countries took part in the competition.

The basics

Olympic Shooting events fall broadly into three types: Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun events. In Pistol and Rifle events, competitors aim at a 10-ringed target from a set distance (10m, 25m or 50m).

Depending on the event, athletes are required to shoot from standing, kneeling or prone positions. In Shotgun events, meanwhile, competitors shoot at moving clay targets launched above and in front of them.

In the five Pistol events and the five Rifle events, shooters take part in two rounds, the qualification and the final. The scores in each round are added together to give a total score, which determines the winners of the medals. There are also two stages in the five Shotgun events, with the scores from the qualification and final stages added together to determine the rankings.

Olympic Shooting, past and present

With the exceptions of the 1904 and 1928 Games, Shooting has featured on every Olympic programme since the first modern Games in 1896. Women’s events were added to the schedule in 1984.

At London 2012, the Shooting competition will be held at a truly historic venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks. Its rich heritage dates back to 1716, when a Royal Warrant authorised the formation of two artillery companies at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. The current building was constructed between 1775 and 1802.

Jargon buster

• Double trap: A Shooting competition in which two clay targets are launched simultaneously in front of the shooter.
• Pistol: One of three firearms used in Olympic Shooting, and the only one to be shot with one hand.
• Shoot-off: A tiebreaker.
• Three positions: Rifle events in which competitors shoot in standing, kneeling and prone positions.
• Trap: The device used for launching clay targets into the air.

See the London 2012 Olympic Games competition schedule

Get involved

In the UK, more than 350,000 people currently practice the sport, with equal numbers of boys and girls entering competitions. Find details of all the shooting clubs and facilities in your local area by visiting British Shooting, the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association and the National Small-bore Rifle Association. You can also find lots of information on the sport on the website of the International Shooting Sport Federation

See also