ACOG - Shooting - IBM

Olympic Shooting Overview

The Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in the Modern era as a way to draw countries together in peace. Shooting dramatizes this gathering, as guns are used for peaceful competition, not war.

Many hear "shooting" or "gun" and think of the war against violence. Target shooters see their sport as far removed from the issue. In sport shooting, careful safety rules are followed, and all of the shooters' energies are directed toward inanimate objects and targets, never toward other people. Using a gun as a tool of sport instigates a transformation of attitude about guns — from weapons to sporting equipment — that many shooters believe is a necessary first step to eliminate the culture of violence which pervades so many countries in the world.

In fact, accidents when target shooting are so rare that statistics on them are not even kept. In modern Olympic history, there has never been a single injury to an athlete, official or spectator due to a target shooting activity.

Shooting bears the honor of hosting the first awards ceremony of each Olympic Games, and is one of the largest sports, both by number of events and athletes. For the last nine Olympiads, dating back to 1960, the sport has drawn the third-greatest number of countries, and had to impose participation quotas to keep competitors to a manageable number.

One of the greatest surges in participation came in 1984, when women's events were first added to the Olympic Programme. Only two women have ever medaled in mixed competition, which was finally eliminated this year: Margaret MURDOCK (USA) in the 50m standard rifle, three position, in 1976, and ZHANG Shan (CHN), who set an Olympic record in skeet shooting in 1992.

The International Shooting Union (UIT) recognizes a huge number of different shooting events — 29 individual and 29 team — though only 15 are competed in Atlanta. Among the different ranges, notice the great differences between disciplines — in guns, techniques, equipment and even personalities of the shooters. Shotgun and moving target events attract a very different person than rifle or pistol events, though all rely on stamina and concentration to successfully shoot so many rounds with such precise muscle coordination and unwavering emotional control.

To show how mental the sport of shooting can be, one man, Karoly VARGA (HUN) actually won a gold medal while his trigger hand was broken. In the 1980 free rifle prone event, VARGA concentrated more than usual on the slow squeeze of the trigger. Protecting his hand gave him a more gentle, and thereby more accurate, touch.

The sport's reliance on such perennial skills makes shooting a sport in which size and age, unlike athletics or gymnastics, has little bearing on success. The oldest medalist in the history of the Games was a shooter. Oscar SWAHN from Sweden was an amazing 72 years old in 1920 when he won his last medal, a silver, in the now discontinued running deer, double shot, team event. It is not uncommon for Olympic shooters to have been training for more than 20 years.

Due to the competitive longevity of the sport, two or three shooters have a chance to win their third Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. No shooter in Olympic history has won more than two.

Competing Countries*

ALB Albania
AND Andorra
ANG Angola
ARG Argentina
ARM Armenia
AUS Australia
AUT Austria
AZE Azerbaijan
BAN Bangladesh
BAR Barbados
BLR Belarus
BEL Belgium
BOL Bolivia
BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina
BRA Brazil
BRU Brunei Darussalam
BUL Bulgaria
CAN Canada
CHI Chile
TPE Chinese Taipei
COL Colombia
CRO Croatia
CUB Cuba
CYP Cyprus
CZE Czech Republic
DEN Denmark
ECU Ecuador
EGY Egypt
EST Estonia
FIN Finland
FRA France
GEO Georgia
GER Germany
GBR Great Britain
GRE Greece
GUA Guatemala
HKG Hong Kong
HUN Hungary
IND India
INA Indonesia
IRQ Iraq
IRL Ireland
IRI Iran
ISR Israel
ITA Italy
JPN Japan
JOR Jordan
KAZ Kazakstan
KOR Korea
KUW Kuwait
KGZ Kyrgyzstan
LAT Latvia
LIB Lebanon
LIE Liechtenstein
LTU Lithuania
LUX Luxembourg
MAS Malaysia
MLT Malta
MEX Mexico
MON Monaco
MGL Mongolia
MYA Myanmar
NAM Namibia
NED Netherlands
NEP Nepal
AHO Netherlands Antilles
NZL New Zealand
NCA Nicaragua
NOR Norway
OMA Oman
CHN China
PAN Panama
PRK DPR Korea
PER Peru
PHI Philippines
POL Poland
POR Portugal
PUR Puerto Rico
QAT Qatar
MDA Moldova
ROM Romania
RUS Russian Federation
SMR San Marino
KSA Saudi Arabia
SIN Singapore
SVK Slovakia
SLO Slovenia
RSA South Africa
ESP Spain
SRI Sri Lanka
SWE Sweden
SUI Switzerland
SYR Syrian Arab Republic
TJK Tajikistan
THA Thailand
TUR Turkey
TKM Turkmenistan
UKR Ukraine
UAE United Arab Emirates
USA United States
UZB Uzbekistan
VAN Vanuatu
VEN Venezuela
VIE Vietnam
ISV Virgin Islands
YUG Yugoslavia
ZIM Zimbabwe
*Current as of press time.

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.Written by Jennifer Knight with Spectator’s Guide information provided by U.S.A. Shooting.


Olympic Factoid
Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.