Archery

Archery is a sport that involves the use of a bow and a number of arrows. The bow is used to shoot the arrows at targets, either static or moving depending on the type of archery. It is believed that the bow and arrow was invented to hunt animals for food, it later became a weapon of warfare. Archery has now become a precision sport and takes place worldwide.

The most popular form of archery involves shooting a number of arrows at a target from set distances; this is known as ‘Target Archery’. Another form of archery is ‘Field Archery’. This form is a combination of the traditional form used for hunting with the modern form of target archery. Targets are set out in a course in a wooded area. Archers follow the course and once they come across a target they aim and shoot. This form is becoming more and more popular across Europe and the US. Competitive archery is a sport of precision and accuracy, and is as much a mental game as it is physical.

Between 1900, and 1920 Archery became part of the Olympic Games, but had to be dropped due to the fact that there were no internationally recognized rules. In the 1930’s FITA was introduced as a governing body for the sport and the recognized international rules were created. However, it was not until 1972 that Archery was re-introduced to the Olympics as an individual event, and then late in 1988 the team event became part of the program. In 1992 FITA added rules specifically for the Olympics that allowed the introduction of match play.