Archery in Olympics
Archery first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1900 and was contested again in 1904, 1908, and 1920. 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 an individual event for men and for women in which the Americans John Williams and Doreen Wilber of the USA captured the gold medals. In Seoul 1988, the team competition was added to the medal program.
ATLANTA 1996
Never before have so many spectators been able to watch archery live on television as in Atlanta, USA, in 1996:
Belgium: 2 millions TV spectators during a 2h live broadcast of the Individual finals
Italy: 4 millions TV spectators during the live broadcast in the Team finals
USA: 30 minutes of prime time TV on Archery and Justin Huish
45999 tickets sold
54680 spectators during the Atlanta Games Archery Competition
Archery has proved at the Atlanta Games that it is a true Olympic Sport, capable of creating drama and emotions. FITA received tokens of appreciation for its sport from IOC members, TV Executives and Media specialists as well as from the general public. The Atlanta archery coverage of Atlanta won the Golden Rings Award from the IOC for the best Olympic Sports coverage.
SYDNEY 2000
The Olympic archery program ran over seven days from 16 to 22 September 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 and added a fourth day of finals to the archery Olympic event. This change enhanced the enjoyment of the spectators and the worldwide television audience.
ATHENS 2004
Archery athletes who have successfully made it to the Olympic Games in Athens had the unique chance of competing in the Panathinaiko Stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern area took place and which was built on the ruins of an ancient stadium built in 329 B.C.