A History of Archery at the Olympics
Archery debuted at the Summer Olympics in 1900. The Olympic archery program has gradually expanded over the years to consist of five disciplines: men’s individual, men’s team, women’s individual, women’s team, and mixed. Nearly 100 nations have fielded archery programs at the Olympics, with France fielding more competitors than any other country. American athletes initially won most archery medals, while archers from South Korea have excelled in recent decades.
Archery debuted at the second modern Olympic games in Paris. Like many records associated with early Olympic tournaments, some data is unreliable or conflicting. Numerous archery events were held at the first games, though Olympic record books only recognize seven. More than 150 archers competed, despite only France, Belgium, and Netherlands fielding competitors, and all but 17 of those athlete’s names have been lost to time. France won four gold medals to Belgium’s three and claimed 13 overall.
The archery program was streamlined for the 1904 games in St. Louis, with three events for men and three for women, marking the first time women competed in an Olympic archery event. The program was called the 26th Grand Annual Target Meeting of the National Archery Association. While the field was technically open to all nations, the tournament functioned more as the US national championships, with no non-American athletes. Unsurprisingly, America swept the podium in all events.
The 1908 archery tournament spelled the end of archery at the Olympics for several decades. Excluding America’s sole male competitor, only Great Britain and France fielded athletes. Britain swept the men’s double York round and women’s double national round events, while French archers took home three Men’s continental style medals.
Archery did not appear again at the Olympics until 1972 in Munich. The program was reduced to a single event for men and one for women. It marked the start of a formalized archery program at the Olympics. Nearly 20 countries fielded teams in both events. Americans John Williams and Doreen Wilber won the men’s and women’s tournaments, respectively, while the remaining four medals went to athletes from nations that had never previously won an archery medal.
Archery has been a staple of the Summer Olympics program since the Munich games. The United States repeated as the world’s leading archery program in 1976, taking gold again in both disciplines. The Soviet Union also won two medals. Soviet athletes won three of six medals in 1980, but Finland’s Tomi Poikolainen won men’s gold. America reclaimed the archery crown in 1984, winning gold and silver in the men’s tournament.
The 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, can be viewed as the start of the modern archery competition, with the program expanding to include team events. The 1988 games also marked the start of South Korean archery dominance. South Korean archers won six of 12 medals, including three golds. South Korea has won the most archery medals at each Olympics since 1988, including a record 19 gold medals. America ranks second with 13 golds, followed by Belgium at 11.
