Archery: The Story Beyond The Sport

CAIRO – 10 June 2017: Archery began as a tool for hunting and a weapon of war. The first use of the bow dates back 10,000 B.C., but, in the 19th century, archery was made into a sport. The word archery comes from the Latin word “arcus,” which translates to arch.

Upon the arrival of the Industrial Age, archery became widely known as a sport. As a result of the Industrial Age, many countries like England, the United States and Ireland found new ways to obtain food, and left archery as a sport to be practiced during spare time.

After the formation of the National Rifle Association in 1871, shooting saw a major upsurge in development of the sport.

Archery appeared at the first modern Olympic games in Athens in 1896. Its first tournament was hosted in the city of Lyon in France on 1897.

The sport of Archery is considered to be a target sport in which the player selects a target and aims. The sport was seen in the past to be extremely competitive. People often practiced archery one-on-one, rather than as a team orientated sport. Several deaths in the past have been reported due to the one-on-one competitions.

Even though archery does not receive a lot of coverage compared to other sports; it remains to be one of the most iconic and oldest sports ever played.