The countdown to the Rio Olympics is almost over, and with just under a week until the start of the greatest show on earth we thought we’d fill you in on one of our favourite Olympic events – target archery.
So without further ado here’s everything you need to know about the ancient art of archery!
1.) Archery first appeared at the Olympics in 1900, when live pigeons were used as the targets. Thankfully for the planet’s pigeon population this was the first and last time pigeons participated in target archery.
2.) The bow and arrow was originally used as a weapon, it was so effective that the earliest civilisations such as Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans all used archers in their armies.
3.) The string on a traditional bow is usually made from materials such as linen, hemp, sinew, silk and rawhide.
4.) People who have the surname ‘Fletcher’ are the ancestors of arrowsmiths, or sellers of arrows. The name is derived from the word ‘fleche’, which is the French word for arrow.
5.) Splitting an arrow down the middle with another is known as a ‘Robin Hood shot’ due to the precision needed to execute this almost impossible feat.
6.) Archery is the national sport of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which is undoubtedly why all their Olympians (bar one) have competed in the sport.
7.) There are a variety of different bows used for archery including longbows, crossbows, pyramid bows, recurve bows and reflex and decurve bows.
8.) Archers in most competitions including the Olympics must engrave their initials on their arrows, which are usually made of Carbon.
9.) A traditional and ceremonial form of Japanese archery called “Kyudo” is considered to be an art form.
10.) When archers take aim at a target 90 meters away, the size of the target is equivalent to the head of a pin held at arm’s length.
To try your hand at this awesome Olympic sport visit our website.