One of the few sports where size and age don't matter, archery is a sport of skill. The fiberglass-coated bows, synthetic strings and graphite arrows are a far cry from William Tell's equipment, though the bull's eye is about the size of an apple.
No weapon has been used more throughout history than the bow lending force to rulers as different as William the Conquerer and Genghis Khan, and playing a central role in the stories of William Tell and Robin Hood. Legend even has it that an archer named Hercules founded the first Olympic Games in ancient Greece.
Use of a bow and arrow can be traced to ancient Egyptian art. Throughout the ages, greats from as far away as Mongolia (Khan) and England (Henry VIII) were known for their prowess with a bow -- one a shortbow wielded in battle, the other a longbow in competitions held by the British aristocracy. The latter's "lawn games" branched into international competition. It took them hundreds of years, but finally the English and French began using the bow in friendly competition, much in the spirit of the Games.
Archery did not become part of the Olympic Programme until the turn of the century, and then was discontinued in 1920 after it became apparent that only the host countries were competing. One such competitor, Charlotte (Lottie) DOD of Great Britain, played in full dress, complete with a hat, in the 1908 Olympic Games in London where she won a silver medal in the now-discontinued women's national round. No stranger to elite-level competition, this amazing athlete had already won five women's tennis singles titles at Wimbledon, beginning in 1887, and was the 1904 British Ladies' Amateur golf champion. She also had the honor of playing hockey for her country. Part of an athletic family, her brother, William, won the men's singles event in archery the same year, making them the first siblings to medal in one sport at the Games.
As testimony to the agelessness of the sport, Belgian Hubert VAN INNIS entered his first Olympic Games at age 34. In 1900, he won two golds and a silver in the Paris Games. He returned 20 years later to win four golds and two silvers. In the following years, the English brought the sport some much-needed attention by popularizing competition. Olympic competition was revived in 1972, bringing women's events along with it. Medalists now come from countries such as Australia, Finland, Turkey and the United States, which has captured the men's gold at every Games except 1980, when the USA boycotted.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for
the Olympic Games Sports Publication Department. Written by Howard
Thomas.
| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |