History
From just three shooting events at the inaugural 1896 Olympic Games to 15 today, the sport has grown steadily alongside the advance in firearms technology.
Gun clubs Shooting as a sport has been practiced for hundreds of years in European countries, with some German shooting clubs dating back more than 500 years. The popularity of the sport grew in English-speaking countries with the formation of the National Rifle Association in 1959, which originally met in Wimbledon, London, and the National Rifle Association (USA) in 1871.
Choose your weapon There are 15 events in the Olympic program, divided into three different groups: rifle, pistol and shotgun. The rifle and pistol competitions are held on shooting ranges, where marksmen aim at targets at distances of 10, 25 and 50 meters. In the shotgun event, competitors shoot at clay targets propelled at a series of different directions and angles.
Heartbeats and bullseyes Marksmen need to be as steady as possible to be accurate. In order to achieve this, they use relaxation techniques to drop their heartbeat to half its normal rate, fire between heartbeats and use blinkers to hit a bullseye, which appears as no more than a tiny dot in the distance.
Equipment
Comeback king As an example of overcoming adversity, Karoly Takacs has few peers. He was part of Hungary’s world champion pistol-shooting team in 1938, when an army grenade exploded, crippling his right hand. Ten years later, having taught himself to shoot with his left, he won two gold medals in the rapid-fire class.
Clay target A saucer-shaped target of clay.
Metallic sight A non-magnifying device on the front or rear end of a firearm to assist aim.
Free pistol A 22-calibre pistol relatively free of specifications.
Magazine A receptacle for a number of cartridges which is inserted into a firearm and must be removed and replaced when empty.
Pistol A short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand.
Rifle A shoulder firearm with spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the gun barrel to give the bullet a rotating motion and render its flight more accurate.
Shotgun A smooth-bore firearm for firing round shot.
Stock The wooden, metal, plastic or fiberglass portion of a rifle or shotgun to which the barrel, action, trigger, etc. are attached.
Trap A device for suddenly releasing or tossing clay targets into the air in trapshooting.
Trench A long concrete structure in front of a firing line from which machines throw clay targets in trap shooting; also known as a "bunker".
Trigger A small projecting piece which, when pulled with the finger, operates the mechanism and discharges a firearm or air gun.
International Shooting Sport Federation
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) was founded in 1907 as the International Shooting Union, changing its name in 1998. Shooting has been contested since the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Olympic expansion Shooting has come a long way since its debut at the inaugural Games in 1896. Originally, there were just three shooting events compared to the 15 currently on the Olympic program. In part, this leap is thanks to advances in the technology of firearms and equipment, but it is also a reflection of the passion shooters have for their sport.
Current events At the Olympic Games, there are nine events for men and six for women. The events are divided into three groups: rifle, pistol and shotgun. The rifle and pistol events are held on shooting ranges, with competitors aiming at targets from distances of 10 m, 25 m and 50 m. In the shotgun event, competitors shoot at clay targets propelled in a series of different directions.
Women in the ranks In 1992, 24-year-old Chinese competitor Zhang Shan sensationally won gold in a mixed-gender Skeet shooting event. In doing so, she became the first woman ever to win gold in an Olympic event open to both men and women. In 1996 at the Atlanta Games, the shooting program was segregated, so her achievement could remain unique for a very long time.
(Source: olympic.org)
