Key words and figures

70

At the Sydney Games in 2000, archers shot at targets 70 m away in four events - men's and women's individual and team competitions.

1.22

The target is 1.22 m in diameter and marked with 10 concentric rings. From where the archers stand, it looks about the same size as the head of a thumbtack held at arm's length.

12.2

The center ring, or bull's-eye, measures 12.2 cm in diameter, and counts 10 points. The outer ring counts for one, and the rings in between increase by one point in value as they near the center.

Medals

Archers, or teams, compete in head-to-head matches in a single elimination format after being ranked from one to 64.

Armguard

A guard that protects the arm from abrasion when an arrow is shot.

Arrow

Arrows have a maximum diameter of 9.3 mm. Each arrow must be marked with the competitor's name or initials, while archers use distinctive colors and patterns on the arrow fletching to distinguish their arrows.

Bow

The bows draw weight is around 22 kg for the men's competition, and around 15 kg for women's.

The bow consists of a riser and two limbs.

Bowstring

Most strings are made of a hydrocarbon product called dyneema.

Chestguard

Plastic or leather, to keep clothing out of the way and to protect against a bowstring at release from injuring the body.

Finger tab or shooting glove

A flat piece of leather worn as a guard to protect the finger when the arrow releases.

Fletching

The real or artificial feathers at the back of an arrow designed to make it fly straight.

Hand grip or handle

The handle of the bow.