What Shooting Sports Are in the Olympics?
If you’re a fan of the Olympics, you might be wondering which shooting sports are included in the games. Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular shooting sports in the Olympics.
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Introduction
Shooting sports have been part of the Olympic Games since their inception in 1896. Over the years, the sports have evolved and changed, but there are still a number of different shooting events that athletes can compete in. Here is a look at some of the most popular shooting sports that are played in the Olympics.
Target Shooting
Target shooting is a competition in which participants aim at targets of varying size, distance and shape. The projectiles used can be either bullets or arrows. The sport can either be practiced indoors or outdoors.
Running Target
Running target is a shooting sport in which the target is moving horizontally. The shooter tries to hit the target while it is in motion. This sport was first introduced in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Skeet
Skeet is a sport in which a shooter attempts to hit targets, launched at varying heights and speeds, with a shotgun. The name “skeet” comes from the Scandinavian word for “shoot”.
There are two variations of skeet: Olympic skeet and American skeet. In Olympic skeet, there are eight firing positions on a semi-circle with a radius of 7.5 meters (24.6 ft). The targets are launched from two “high house” and two “low house” stations on either side of the shooter, at slightly different elevations and angles.
In American skeet, there are also eight firing positions, but the targets are not launched from as low of an angle, and the shooting stations are not arranged in a perfect semicircle. American skeet also uses larger targets than Olympic skeet.
Skeet is considered an equivalency sport, meaning that athletes can earn partial credit towards their quota for competing in another event. For example, if an athlete were to shoot 50 out of 100 targets in skeet, they would receive 0.5 points towards their overall quota.
The minimum age to compete in skeet is 16 years old.
Trap
Trap shooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. The other disciplines are Skeet and Olympic Skeet. Trap shooting is also practiced in non-competitive recreational form. A “round” of trap consists of 25 targets, generally shot from five separate, strategically located stations along a semi-circular arc,iameter). The sport is predominantly male but there are a growing number women in the sport. Juniors (between 11 and 17 years old) can also compete.
Double Trap
Double trap is one of the newer shooting sports in the Olympics, having only been introduced in 1996. It’s also one of the more spectator-friendly events, as it’s easy to follow what’s happening and there is usually a lot of action. In double trap, shooters use a shotgun to try to hit two clay targets that are released simultaneously from different points in front of them. The targets are released at random intervals, so shooters have to be very quick and accurate to hit both targets before they fall to the ground.
Mixed Team Trap
Mixed team trap is a clay target shotgun event in which teams of two shooters each shoot at five targets from two positions. One shooter shoots from the right side while the other shooter shoots from the left side.
Conclusion
With the 2020 Summer Olympics just around the corner, all eyes are on Tokyo. This will be a historic Olympics for many reasons: it’s the first time that baseball and softball will be played in the Games; it’s the return of surfing, karate, and skateboarding; and it will be the first time that women’s football will be played on an equal footing with men’s.
But one of the most intriguing aspects of the 2020 Olympics is the inclusion of new shooting sports. This year, for the first time ever, 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, and skateboarding will all be medal events.
The International Olympic Committee has recognized that these disciplines have a strong following among young people, and they are hoping to appeal to a new generation of fans with these additions.
So if you’re a fan of shooting sports, be sure to check out these new events in Tokyo!
