Archery Olympic History

Archery Olympic History   Archery first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1900 and was contested again in 1904, 1908, and 1920. Women competed in the 1904 Olympics, making archery one of the first sports competitions to include women. In those four Games it was possible for an archer to compete in numerous events and win several medals. Hubert van Innis from Belgium is the most decorated archer in Olympic history, winning six gold medals and three silvers in 1900 and 1920.   Archery was re-introduced to the Olympic program in 1972 with individual events for men and for women in which John Williams and Doreen Wilber, of the USA, captured the gold medals. In Seoul 1988, the team competition was added to the medal programme. Barcelona 1992 was the first time that archery featured exciting head-to-head competition and single elimination matches.   Atlanta 1996 The Atlanta 1996 Games marked a new milestone for the exposure of archery. Never before have so many spectators been able to watch archery live on television or in the stands as 54,680 spectators attended the competitions. The Atlanta archery coverage won the Golden Rings Award from the IOC for the best Olympic Sports coverage.   Sydney 2000 One change from the 1996 Olympics was that the team competition was held on two days rather than the one-day format used in Atlanta. This new format for the team competition allowed for the men and women to have their own full day of matches. This change enhanced the enjoyment of the spectators and the worldwide television audience. This will still be the case for Beijing 2008.   Athens 2004 In Athens, archery athletes had the unique chance of competing in the Panathinaiko Stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern area took place in 1896. The Panathinaiko Stadium was built on the ruins of an ancient stadium built in 329 B.C.   "I think we had the best venue of them all!" said Jim Easton, President of the World Archery Federation (WA) in 2004. "The staging of our sport in such a historic place certainly added something very special. The Olympic Games in themselves are already a unique occasion for an athlete, so adding this extra dimension of being able to compete in this beautiful marble stadium where the first Games of the modern era took place—well, you could say it marks yet another place in history, one which I am sure each athlete treasured. And no doubt it was very special for the spectators, both on-site and watching on the TV networks around the world. I believe we were able to put on a show worthy of the venue—something which makes everyone very proud."   Beijing 2008 WA is convinced that the dedicated archery stadium in Beijing and the work of everyone will also mark a new milestone for exciting archery competitions.