A Japanese archer takes aim at Munich 1972.
Human beings have been using bows and arrows since approximately 8000 B.C.. Once it was discovered that a fast-moving pointed object, propelled by a technological device, could kill meaty food sources (or enemy humans), people solidified their control over the earth.
When superior machinery leaves an object behind -- in this case, when the invention of gunpowder rendered the bow obsolete -- the displaced technology has greater freedom to become an artistic tool. Field and target archery evolved as a pastime in 17th Century England, in events such as the Scorton Arrow, which originated around 1673. It's considered the world's oldest competitive sporting event.
Flash-forward to three centuries later; archery's beginnings at the Olympics are confusing and convoluted. The Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904 events were more part of the World's Fair than the Games, and were attended solely by competitors from the home countries. At London in 1908, competitions in York Round (three arrows at a time) and Continental Style (one) were held, and most of the archers were British.
No archery was held at Stockholm in 1912. At Antwerp 1920, 24 teams entered but only the Netherlands, France and Belgium won medals. Those Olympics were notable for an archery discipline that has never been contested before or since at the Games: fixed bird-shaped targets of various sizes were hung from crossbeams 100 feet into the air, then shot at 20 times. Belgium, which claims archery as its national sport, was the only country that entered -- the country swept the "small birds," "large birds" and team events.
The rest of the archery world didn't catch bird fever, and the sport completely disappeared from the Olympic program until 1972. To celebrate, the Munich Olympic organizers minted a set of commemorative medals five years before the Games, featuring an image of a Scythian Archer, taken from a frieze of the Aphaea Temple that was being displayed at the Munich Glyptotek. Archery was finally coming full circle, from ancient Greece to the Olympics.
These days, archers aim at a colorful target. Competitions are held in an elimination tournament style, with archers facing off head-to-head in points battles.
A single nation holds a seeming monopoly on Olympic archery these days -- indeed, as one website says, "The goddess of archery never seem to betray South Korea." Archers from that country swept the women's and men's team events, and Park Sung-hyun set a world record in the women's individual category.
That recent success has not translated to the men's individual competition, however. No Korean man has won an individual medal since 1992, and an Italian-Japanese final faceoff was held in Athens four years ago. The United States has won three gold medals in the past six Olympiads, often with an archer featuring a "bad boy" image.
Jay Barrs won in 1988, earning love from metalheads everywhere by listening to Metallica on his Walkman between rounds. Eight years later, Justin Huish and his backward baseball cap captivated young America on his way to gold. Unfortunately, Huish was not able to defend his championship, as he was arrested for selling marijuana after making the 2000 U.S. team.
Archery Fun Facts:
- You won't find the greatest archer in the history of the Games in any Olympic results database. Antonio Rebollo, a legally blind Spaniard who won a bronze at the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, took the Olympic flame upon his arrow during the Barcelona 1992 opening ceremony. As the world watched breathlessly -- Rebollo said later that he could hear his heart beating in his ears -- he took careful aim at the cauldron.
What's less known is that he duplicated the feat a month later at the Paralympics opening ceremony!
- The 2004 archery events continued the tie between the ancient sport of archery and the ancient Olympics. The competitions were held in the white marble Panathenaic Stadium in downtown Athens, the site of the 1896 Olympics.
- An archery expert or tragic fan is considered a toxophilite.
In 2008:
Archery will take place at the Olympic Green Archery Field in Beijing's Olympic Park from August 9 (Day 1) through August 15 (Day 7). A total of four events will be contested: a men's and women's individual tournament, and a three-person team tournament for each gender. The women's team gold medal will be decided on August 10 (Day 2), and the men's the following day. The individual eliminations take place over the next two days, with the women's individual final on Thursday the 14th (Day 6) and the men's the next evening.
A total of 128 archers qualified for the Olympics. As in weightlifting, countries are granted spots to distribute as they see fit, and no nation can send more than six archers (three of each gender). China, as the host nation, receives an automatic six-berth package.
In the individual events, archers shoot 18 arrows in three ends against an opponent in elimination format; from the quarterfinals on, it's 12 arrows. In the team matches, a country shoots 27 arrows in three ends, with each team member shooting three per end.
All-Time Medal Standings:
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 31 |
 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 25 |
 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 20 |
 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 22 |
 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
(Images via 1972 Official Report, Wikipedia)
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