ARCHERY FACTS THAT HIT THE BULLSEYE

A STRONG PARALYMPIC HISTORY

The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in

1960. Eight sports debuted, including archery. Though the

sport began for veterans with World War II spinal cord

injuries, it has opened up over time to include all athletes.

(Other sports at the first games included wheelchair

fencing and table tennis.)

NATIONAL SPORT

Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, a mountainous

Himalayan country just north of India. Almost every

village has an archery range, but, since it’s a

Buddhist country, archery is only for sport.

PULLING A "ROBIN HOOD"

Famous do-gooder Robin Hood was reputed to be an

expert at the bow. Legends of the bowman have become

so popular that splitting an arrow with another is

now referred to as a Robin Hood.

ARCHERY IN ASTROLOGY

The astrological sign Sagittarius is named after its

constellation of the same name (not to be confused

with the constellation Sagitta, “the arrow”). This Zodiac

sign is depicted as a centaur pulling back on a bow,

ready to fire its arrow.

ARCHERY'S HISTORY

in warfare. Once it spread to Asia and the Middle East,

its purpose broadened into sport.

MOUNTED ARCHERY

Mounted archery, the use of bows and arrows while atop a

mount such as a horse, gained prominence during the

Iron Age. It was a much more efficient killing method

than the chariots used during the Bronze Age.

ARCHERY GETS AN UPSHOT

It took centuries for archery to advance beyond its basic

roots. In the early 20th century, a group of scientists and

engineers used high-speed photography to analyse different

bow and arrow designs. The culmination was the 1947

book “Archery: The Technical Side” which led to new

innovations such as fibreglass bows and making the

bow grip more like a pistol handle.

LANDING ON THE LINE

When an arrow hits the line between two circles, points

are awarded for the higher score. This situation

is called a line breaker.

TOXOPHILITES

A toxophilite is the name for an archer, coming from the

Greek words for “lover of the bow”. Toxophily is the study

of archery and Toxophilus was the first book written on

archery, in 1545 by Roger Ascham.