Recurvebogen used at the Olympics 2008 premiumd Highlight Vdig vertical Detail Close Technology Sports equipment Sports Archery Equipment Handle Recurve Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Summer Games Arch Beijing. Xinhua/Imago/Icon SMI 429/Xinhua/Imago/Icon SMI/Newscom. FInd it on Newscom.com: iconphotostwo051966
There are definitely more popular sports than archery in the Olympics. Sports like swimming, diving and gymnastics. If you disagree, just notice what games get primetime slots on the television and notice which ones only air in the middle of the day. Volleyball is exciting and entertaining and the athletes of such sports get those sob stories of their life struggles aired and narrated by Bob Costas (the main reason why the Olympics are always such an emotional time for me).
Archery is not one of the famed sports of the Olympics. In fact, I don’t know that I have ever seen the archery competition during the Olympics, and I certainly don’t know the sad struggles and adversity faced by the medaled archers. But I do have a prediction for the future of archery… With the release of the Hunger Games and its world-wide popularity, I am sure that any female archer will be compared to Katniss, the heroine of the movie and books. And maybe, just maybe, people will pay a little closer attention to the sport.
Now, I doubt any of the athletes will be pulling an attention grabbing arrow-through-an-apple-sitting-in-a-pig’s-mouth kind of move during competition. Because there is really no need to impress the judges in archery. Unlike some of the other Olympic sports, where the judging is subjective, in archery the judges just make decisions of where the arrow is on the target. In the case of a tie breaker, they get out their measuring devices to determine whose hit is closest to the center.
One of the nicer things about archery (at least for me) is that it is a very straight forward sport. The target sits 70 meters in distance away from the shooter, and depending where the arrow lands, they receive the respective points. Getting your arrow into the inner ring will gain you the most points (obviously), which is ten. This isn’t easy to do when the center of the target looks the size of a thumb tack from where you’re standing and you have an average time limit of 40 seconds for each arrow you shoot. The competition follows in elimination rounds in both individual and team contests (a team consists of 3 archers).
“World Archery is dedicated to making the sport as passionate and spectacular as possible.” So in honor of the oft overlooked sport, check out these images (and more we have back at Newscom) of archery.
Bronze medalist Bair Badenov from Russia shoots an arrow during the men's individual Archery semi-final at the Olympic games in Beijing, China, 15 August 2008. NIC BOTHMA/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotosthree673848
Spain's Daniel Morillo shoots an arrow during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games men's individual archery event at the Olympic Green archery field on August 13, 2008. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo589812
World number one archer Im Dong-Huyn of South Korea collects his arrows during Men's Individual Ranking Round of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Archery conpetition in Beijing on August 9, 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo574630
Left: Chinese archer Guo Dan aims to shoot an arrow during the women's team competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 10, 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo578682 Middle: Khatuna Lorig of the U.S. takes aim during her women's individual 1/32 elimination archery round against Virginie Arnold of France at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 12, 2008. RUBEN SPRICH/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrltwo989045 Right: Archer Simon Terry of Britain takes aim during the men's team competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo580829
One thing I’ve observed about all Olympic sports: It never matters what your face looks like.
Volunteers work at the Beijing Olympic Green Archery field in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China, 03 August 2008. NIC BOTHMA/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotosthree662809
Mexico's Eduardo Velez Sanchez train in the Beijing Olympic Green Archery Field before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China, 03 August 2008. HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotosthree662924
Gold medalis Viktor Ruban from Ukraine (L) takes aim during the men's individual Archery semi-final against Bronze medalist Bair Badenov from Russia (R) at the Olympic games in Beijing, China, 15 August 2008. NIC BOTHMA/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotosthree673859
Zhang Juanjuan of China competes at the women's individual final of archery of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008. Gesang Dawa/Xinhua/Photoshot/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: ptsphotoshot093545
The Ukraine's Viktor Urban competes in the men's individual archery final during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing on August 15, 2008. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo596829
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Tags: archery, london 2012, olympic sports, Olympics, summer games