Archery at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Archery at the Summer Olympics

Governing body	WA
Events	5 (men: 2; women: 2; mixed: 1)
Games
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Medalists

Archery is a sport where athletes shoot arrows at a target using a bow. It first appeared at the 1900 Summer Olympics and has been part of the Games 17 times. Over 100 countries have competed in Olympic archery. France has competed the most, 15 times. A big trend in recent years is how good South Korean archers are; they've won 27 out of 39 gold medals since 1984!

The sport is managed by the World Archery Federation. Only recurve bows are used in the Olympic Games. Archery is also a sport at the Summer Paralympics, where athletes with disabilities compete.

Archery at the Olympics: A Quick Look
History of Olympic Archery
Olympic Archery Medals
How Archers Qualify for the Olympics
How Archery Competitions Work
Olympic Archery Events Over Time
- Early Games Events
- Modern Games Events
Participating Nations in Archery
Olympic Archery Records
See Also

Archery at the Olympics: A Quick Look

Here's a summary of how archery has been part of the Olympic Games:

Key

Archery events were not held in these years.
The Olympic Games themselves were not held in these years.

Games	Year	Events	Best Nation
1
2	1900	7	France
3	1904	6	United States
4	1908	3	Great Britain
5
6
7	1920	10	Belgium
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Games	Year	Events	Best Nation
17
18
19
20	1972	2	United States
21	1976	2	United States
22	1980	2	Soviet Union
23	1984	2	United States
24	1988	4	South Korea
25	1992	4	South Korea
26	1996	4	South Korea
27	2000	4	South Korea
28	2004	4	South Korea
29	2008	4	South Korea
30	2012	4	South Korea
31	2016	4	South Korea
32	2020	5	South Korea

History of Olympic Archery

Archery first appeared at the second Olympic Games in Paris in 1900. There were seven different events, with varying distances for shooting. At the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, six archery events were held, including the first time women competed in archery and the introduction of team events.

After 1920, archery was not included in the Olympics for a long time. It finally returned in 1972 at the Munich Games. Back then, there were only two events: men's individual and women's individual. The competition used a format called the '1440 Round'.

In 1988, team competitions were added, and the format changed. Then, starting in 1992, the "Olympic Round" was introduced. This is where archers compete head-to-head in matches, and it's been used ever since.

A special moment happened in 1984 in Los Angeles. Neroli Fairhall from New Zealand became the first athlete using a wheelchair to compete in the Olympic Games.

Olympic archery competitions are sometimes held in famous places. For example, they've been at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens (2004), Lord's Cricket Ground in London (2012), and the Sambadrome in Rio (2016).

Olympic Archery Medals

The early archery competitions in 1900, 1904, 1908, and 1920 were different from today's standardized events. Only a few countries competed, and the host country often won many medals. These early competing nations included France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States. In some events in 1920, bronze medals weren't given out because only two countries competed.

The modern era of Olympic archery began in 1972. Since then, the rules have been the same, and many more countries compete.

This table shows all the medals won in archery, including the early games and the modern ones:

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	South Korea	27	9	7	43
2	United States	14	10	9	33
3	Belgium	11	7	3	21
4	France	7	11	7	25
5	Italy	2	3	4	9
6	Great Britain	2	2	5	9
7	China	1	6	2	9
8	Soviet Union	1	3	3	7
9	Finland	1	1	2	4
9	Ukraine	1	1	2	4
11	Netherlands	1	1	1	3
12	Australia	1	0	2	3
13	Spain	1	0	0	1
13	Turkey	1	0	0	1
15	Japan	0	3	4	7
16	Chinese Taipei	0	2	2	4
16	Germany	0	2	2	4
18	ROC	0	2	0	2
18	Sweden	0	2	0	2
20	Mexico	0	1	2	3
21	Poland	0	1	1	2
21	Russia	0	1	1	2
23	Indonesia	0	1	0	1
24	Unified Team	0	0	2	2
Totals (24 entries)		71	69	61	201

How Archers Qualify for the Olympics

To compete in Olympic archery, athletes must be at least 16 years old. Countries, not individual archers, earn qualification spots. A country can get spots in two ways: by qualifying a team or by qualifying individual archers.

If a country qualifies a team for a gender (men's or women's), they can send three archers for that team event. Each of these three archers also gets to compete in the individual event. If a country only earns individual spots, they can send just one archer for the individual event.

There are 12 team spots for each gender. These usually go to the host nation, the top 8 teams at the World Archery Championships, and the top 3 teams from a special qualification tournament.

Besides the team spots, there are 28 extra individual spots for each gender. This means a total of 64 archers compete in each individual event.

For the mixed team event, qualification happens during the Olympics itself, based on the scores from the ranking round.

How Archery Competitions Work

From 1988 to 2016, Olympic archery had four medal events: men's individual, women's individual, men's team, and women's team. In 2020, a new mixed team event was added. In all five events, archers shoot at a target 70 meters away.

Individual Competition

In the individual events, 64 archers compete. It starts with a "ranking round" where each archer shoots 72 arrows. Their score from this round decides their rank, which is used to set up a single-elimination bracket. This means if you lose a match, you're out!

The archers are then ranked from 1st to 64th. The 1st ranked archer shoots against the 64th, the 2nd against the 63rd, and so on.

Since 2012, individual matches use a "set system". Each set involves both archers shooting three arrows. The archer with the higher score in that set gets two points. If it's a tie, each archer gets one point. The match continues until one archer reaches six points. If the match is tied after five sets, they have a "single arrow shoot-off" – the archer whose arrow lands closest to the center wins!

Team Competition

For the team event, the scores from the individual ranking round are used to rank the teams. The scores of a team's three archers are added together. The competition is a single-elimination bracket, with the top 4 teams getting a direct pass to the quarterfinals. The teams that lose in the semifinals play each other for the bronze medal.

Since 2016, team matches also use the set format. In each set, every archer shoots two arrows, making a total of six arrows per team per set.

Mixed Team Competition

The mixed team competition was added in 2020. It also uses the ranking round scores to qualify and rank teams. Each of the 16 teams has one male and one female archer.

Olympic Archery Events Over Time

Early Games Events

In the early Olympic Games, the archery events were often unique to each Games. For example, in 1900, there were events like "Au Cordon Doré" and "Sur la Perche". In 1904, team rounds were introduced. By 1920, there were events involving shooting at "fixed large birds" or "moving birds". These were very different from today's competitions.

1900	1904	1908	1912	1920
7 events, men only	6 events, men and women	3 events, men and women	not held	10 events, men only
Au Cordon Doré, 50 metres Au Cordon Doré, 33 metres Au Chapelet, 50 metres Au Chapelet, 33 metres Sur la Perche à la Herse Sur la Perche à la Pyramide Championnat due Monde	Team round, men Team round, women Double American round, men Double Columbia round, women Double National round, women Double York round, men	Double National round, women Double York round, men Continental style, men		Individual fixed large bird Individual fixed small bird Individual moving bird, 50 metres Individual moving bird, 33 metres Individual moving bird, 28 metres Team fixed large bird Team fixed small bird Team moving bird, 50 metres Team moving bird, 33 metres Team moving bird, 28 metres

Modern Games Events

Here are the events that have been part of the modern Olympic archery program:

Event	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24	Years
Current program
Men's individual	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	14
Men's team	–	–	–	–	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	10
Women's individual	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	14
Women's team	–	–	–	–	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	10
Mixed team	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	X	X	2

Events	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	50

Participating Nations in Archery

Over 100 different countries have sent archers to compete in the Olympic Games. This table shows which countries have participated and how many archers they sent in different years.

96		In the table headings, indicates the Games year, from 1896 to 2012
3		Number of archers participated in the specified Games
		Archery not competed in these years
		Host nation for the specified Games
		NOC did not compete in Games or was superseded or preceded by other NOC(s) during these years

Event	00	04	08	20	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	Years
Argentina (ARG)									2									1
Australia (AUS)			ANZ		3	4	3	2	3	3	5	6	6	5	2	4	4	13
Austria (AUT)						1	1	1								1		4
Azerbaijan (AZE)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN							1		1
Bangladesh (BAN)															1	1	2	3
Belarus (BLR)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN	2	2	2	2	1	1	3	7
Belgium (BEL)	18			14	3	2	2	5	3	1	1	1				1	1	12
Bhutan (BHU)								6	3	6	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	10
Brazil (BRA)							2	1	2	2				1	1	6	2	8
Bulgaria (BUL)							2			1	1		1	1	1			6
Canada (CAN)					6	4		3	4	3	3	1	2	4	2	2	2	12
Central African Republic (CAF)												1						1
Chad (CHA)																	1	1
Chile (CHI)												1			1	1	1	4
China (CHN)								6	6	6	6	6	5	6	6	6	6	10
Chinese Taipei (TPE)					1			2	6	3	6	3	6	6	6	6	6	11
Colombia (COL)								1		1				3	2	4	2	6
Costa Rica (CRC)						2	2			1								3
Cuba (CUB)												4	1	1	1	1		5
Cyprus (CYP)										1				1				2
Czech Republic (CZE)	Bohemia			Czechoslovakia										2			1	2
Czechoslovakia (TCH)	Bohemia						3			1								2
Denmark (DEN)					4	1			3	3		1	1	2	3		1	9
Dominican Republic (DOM)																1		1
Ecuador (ECU)																	1	1
Egypt (EGY)												1	4	2	2	2	2	6
El Salvador (ESA)												1	1					2
Estonia (EST)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union					1	1				1	1	1	5
Fiji (FIJ)													1		1	1		3
Finland (FIN)					3	2	4	5	6	3	3	3	1	1		2	1	12
France (FRA)	129		15	8	5	2		2	6	6	4	5	6	5	4	3	4	15
Georgia (GEO)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN	1	3	2	2	1	3		6
Germany (GER)										6	3	4	4	2	2	2	4	8
West Germany (FRG)	Germany				4	3		5	6	Germany								4
Great Britain (GBR)			41		6	4	4	6	6	6	3	3	4	6	6	2	6	14
Greece (GRE)												1	6	2	1	1		5
Guam (GUM)										1								1
Hong Kong (HKG)								6	3	1					1			4
Hungary (HUN)					2		4			3	2							4
India (IND)									3	3	2		6	4	6	4	4	8
Indonesia (INA)					1	2		2	4	4	3	1	2	2	1	4	4	12
Iran (IRI)														2	2	1	1	4
Iraq (IRQ)															1			1
Ireland (IRL)						1	3	2	3	1	1							6
Israel (ISR)																	1	1
Italy (ITA)					3	4	3	3	3	4	6	6	4	6	6	6	4	13
Ivory Coast (CIV)															1	1		2
Japan (JPN)					4	4		5	6	6	5	5	6	5	6	4	6	12
Jordan (JOR)									1									1
Kazakhstan (KAZ)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN	6	4	3	1	2	2	3	7
Kenya (KEN)											2	1				1		3
North Korea (PRK)						2	3			3		1		2	1	1		7
South Korea (KOR)					3			6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	11
Laos (LAO)													1					1
Libya (LBA)																1		1
Luxembourg (LUX)					2		1	3	1	1			1		1		1	8
Malawi (MAW)																1	1	2
Malaysia (MAS)													1	3	4	3	2	5
Malta (MLT)							2	1	1									3
Mauritius (MRI)												1	1	1				3
Mexico (MEX)					6			2	4	4	3	2	3	4	6	4	4	11
Moldova (MDA)	Russian Empire			ROU	Soviet Union					EUN	1				1	1	2	4
Monaco (MON)								1	1									2
Mongolia (MGL)					3	4	4		3	1	1				2	1	2	9
Morocco (MAR)														1				1
Myanmar (MYA)												1	1	1	1	1		5
Nepal (NEP)																1		1
Netherlands (NED)	6			8			2	2	3	6	2	3	3		1	3	4	12
New Zealand (NZL)			ANZ		1			3	1	1	1	2	1					7
Norway (NOR)					4	1		1		1	1	4			1	1		8
Philippines (PHI)					3				2			1	1	1	2			6
Poland (POL)					4	4	3		3	6	4	5	4	6	2	1	2	12
Portugal (POR)								1	3	1	1	1		1				6
Puerto Rico (PUR)					1	2		1	2		1							5
Qatar (QAT)														1				1
Romania (ROU)							4							1			2	3
Russia (RUS)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN	6	4	5	5	3	3		6
Samoa (SAM)														1	1			2
San Marino (SMR)										1	1				1			3
Saudi Arabia (KSA)								3	2									2
Slovakia (SVK)	Hungary			Czechoslovakia												2	1	2
Slovenia (SLO)	Austria / Hungary			Yugoslavia						1	3	1			1		1	5
Solomon Islands (SOL)									1									1
South Africa (RSA)										2	3	2	1	1	1			6
Soviet Union (URS)	Russian Empire				6	3	4		6	EUN								4
Unified Team (EUN)	Russian Empire			URS	Soviet Union					6								1
Spain (ESP)					2		2	4	4	4	1	1	2	1	2	4	2	12
Sweden (SWE)					5	4	3	5	6	3	6	6	3	1	1	1	1	13
Switzerland (SUI)					4		4	3	2					1	2			6
Tajikistan (TJK)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN			1	1				2
Thailand (THA)						3		2							1	1		4
Tonga (TGA)													1			2		2
Tunisia (TUN)																	2	1
Turkey (TUR)								2	6	6	4	6	4	2	1	2	2	10
Uganda (UGA)												1						1
Ukraine (UKR)	Russian Empire			Soviet Union						EUN	6	6	6	5	6	4	3	7
United States (USA)		29	1		6	4		6	6	5	6	6	6	5	6	4	6	14
Vanuatu (VAN)												1						1
Venezuela (VEN)														1	2	2		3
Vietnam (VIE)																	2	1
Virgin Islands (ISV)																	1	1
Yugoslavia (YUG)						1	1											2
Zimbabwe (ZIM)							1		4							1		3

No. of nations	3	1	3	3	27	24	25	35	41	44	41	46	43	49	55	56	49	104
No. of archers	153	29	57	30	95	64	67	109	146	135	125	128	128	128	128	128	128
Year	00	04	08	20	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	Years