Olympic shooting has a very rich and colorful history. It began as a hunting sport. Back in the times of ancient Greece, the shooting competition consisted of bow and arrow. Arches took aim and shot at pigeons placed at the top of high poles to give honor to the gods. But by the tenth century, shooting evolved into a recreational and social activity. William Tell gained recognition during this time by successfully shooting an apple of the head of his son when ordered to do so by a tyrannical bailiff.
Continuing forward into early American times, competition consisted of turkey shoots with winners bringing home slabs of beef, turkey or other delectable foods. A match usually consisted of one shot fired from a distance of about 300 feet from either a standing or sitting position. Nowadays Olympic shooting is an entirely different contest.
Olympic shooting has taken place at almost every edition of the Summer Games since the first modern games started in 1896. Many different guns are used in the competition. There are events for rifles, shotguns, pistols and air guns. Both men and women compete; there are nine competitions for men and six for women.
In the London 2012 Summer Games, the venue will be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks between July 28 and August 5, 2012. There will be 15 events in all. Five will be from each Olympic shooting discipline (rifle, shotgun and pistol). There are 15 medals up for grabs and 390 athletes competing.
There's no doubt that many will find the Olympic shooting venue in London 2012 to be extremely exciting to watch. Olympic shooting athletes are the best in the world and their skill and mastery is well developed.
