Sydney 19 September 2000, Games of the XXVII Olympiad. Archery, women's individual competition: KIM Soo-Nyung of Korea, 3rd. Credit: Getty Images/DADSWELL Mark

Anyone familiar with the legend of Robin Hood knows archery competitions date back at least to mediaeval times. Indeed, today's archers still honour the fabled outlaw. The term "Robin Hood" now refers to splitting the shaft of an arrow already in the target with another arrow.

The equipment has crept forward in its technology since Robin and his merry men had the run of Sherwood Forest, but the sport of archery remains essentially unchanged. A recurve bow coated in fibreglass has become standard, and arrows made of aluminium and carbon graphite can travel more than 240km/h, but the most important requirements are straightforward: steady hands, strong shoulders, flexible muscles, sharp eyes and nerves of steel.

Archery was a feature of the Olympic Games several times from 1900 to 1920, but then disappeared for more than 50 years. It reappeared at Munich in 1972 and has remained a fixture ever since.

Discipline's origin

Archery is one of the oldest arts still practised. This history will not only take you through a journey on the evolution of archery, but also through the history of mankind. Indeed, both are closely linked. Evidence of ancient archery has been found throughout the world, even in Australia where it had previously been thought that the bow had not been used.

Although archery probably dates back to the Stone Age (around 20,000 BC), the earliest people known to have used the bow and arrow were the ancient Egyptians, who adopted it at least 5000 years ago for purposes of hunting and warfare.

In 1200 BC the Hittites used the bow from light, fast chariots, enabling them to become dreaded opponents in Middle Eastern battles. Their neighbours, the Assyrians, used archery extensively. They built bows from several different types of material: tendon, horn and wood. They also gave the bow a new, recurved shape that was far more powerful and as it was shorter, it was more easily handled by an archer on horseback.

In China, archery dates back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1027 BC). A war chariot of that time carried a three-man team: driver, lancer and archer. During the ensuing Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1027-256 BC), nobles at court attended sport archery tournaments that were accompanied by music and interspersed with elegant salutations.

English literature honours the longbow for famous victories in the battles of Crécy, Agincourt and Poitiers. The first known organised competition in archery was held at Finsbury, England, in 1583 and included 3000 participants! By the time of the 30 Years' War (1618-1648), it was clear that the introduction of the gun had made the bow a weapon of the past. From that time on, archery developed as a recreational sport.

Olympic history

Archery first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1900 and was contested again in 1904, 1908 and 1920. In those four Games, it was possible for an archer to compete in numerous events and win several medals. Hubert van Innis (BEL) is the most decorated archer in Olympic history, winning six gold medals and three silvers in 1900 and 1920. Archery was re-introduced to the Olympic programme in 1972 with individual events for men and for women; John Williams and Doreen Wilber of the USA captured the gold medals. Team competition was added to the medal programme in Seoul in 1988.

Equipment

Armguard

A guard that protects the arm from abrasion when an arrow is shot.

Arrow

Arrows have a maximum diameter of 9.3 millimetres. Each arrow must be marked with the competitor's name or initials, while archers use distinctive colours and patterns on the arrow fletching to distinguish their arrows.

Bow

The bows draw weight is around 22 kilograms for men's competition, and around 15kg for women's.

The bow consist of a riser and two limbs.

Bowstring

The string of a bow. Most strings are made of a hydrocarbon product called dyneema.

Chestguard

Plastic or leather, to keep clothing out of the way and to protect against a bowstring at release from injuring the body.

Finger tab or shooting glove

A flat piece of leather worn as a guard to protect the finger when the arrow releases.

Fletching Archery   Archery 21