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Photo © Celso Pupo Rodrigues | Dreamstime.com

Welcome to your guide to Olympic and Paralympic shooting sports that begin July 27. Watch top athletes compete and represent shooting sports to the world, and be inspired to improve your own skills.

Gunning for Gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Shooting sports made their debut at the 1896 Summer Olympic Games at Athens. This first competition consisted of just 5 events. This summer, hundreds of athletes from across the globe will compete in 15 events.

Shooting competitions for the 2024 Paris Games will take place daily from July 27-Aug. 4. Check out the full schedule for live and streaming options.

Watch the video Shooting Highlights from the 2020 Tokyo Games for a glimpse of what's to come at Paris in 2024.

U.S. Shooting Stars Take the Golden Shot

American Vincent Hancock won a record 3rd gold medal in men's skeet shooting at Tokyo in 2020.

Team USA's Will Shaner wins gold at the Tokyo games while setting an Olympic record in men's 10m air rifle.

Your Need-to-Know for Olympic Shooting

Olympic shooting is a demanding sport, requiring physical endurance and mental focus. The Olympic program consists of 3 types of events: rifle, pistol and shotgun. All events require shooting from a set distance of 10, 25, or 50 meters. 

1. Rifle shooting uses a single-loaded 5.6mm caliber across all events.
2. The pistol is either a 4.5mm single-loaded or a 5.6mm caliber five-shot, depending on distance.
3. A 12-gauge is used for all shotgun events.

The modern pentathlon also incorporates pistol shooting, where athletes alternate between running and shooting at 5 targets from a distance of 10m.

Watch the video Sport Guide: Shooting and find out more about the Olympic competition format and scoring for each event.

Paralympics: History of Shooting and Archery

A total of 13 medal events in shooting will take place this year at the Paris Paralympic Games. Brush up on the history (video) of Para Sport Shooting before the games begin on Aug. 28.

Para archery was one of the original Paralympic sports, featured at every Games since 1976. Find out more about this sport's rich history (video) and be prepared to be amazed. 

Precision Shooting at the Paralympics

Shooting Para Sport debuted at the 1976 Toronto Games. Competitors compete in rifle and pistol at the same distances as Olympic shooters – 10, 25 and 50 meters.

Athletes compete in different positions, depending on the event and class – kneeling, standing, in a wheelchair or in a prone position.

Check out the schedule and where you can watch the Paris Games this summer. Then watch the highlights (video) from the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo to see these amazing athletes in action. 

Going for the Golden Arrow at the Olympics

Archery returns to Paris in 2024, 124 years after it made its Olympic debut in the same city in 1900. Archery took a 52 year break from Olympic competition after 1920 and was reintroduced at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. 

This summer's competitions take place from July 28-Aug. 4 and you can watch the action live and streaming. Catch up on some past winners making their awesome gold-medal winning shots (video) over the years. 

Your Need-to-Know for Olympic Archery

Olympic archery was one of the first sports to allow women to compete, featuring women's events at the 1904 and 1908 Games. Archery requires patience, accuracy and concentration to succeed. 

At the 2024 Paris Games, 64 men and 64 women will compete in 5 different events, including the Mixed Team event, which made it's debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Archers shoot at 122cm diameter targets from a distance of 70m for each event, aiming to hit as close to the center as possible. All archers at the Olympic Games use a recurve bow.

Read more about archery disciplines and equipment used in this world-wide sport, and watch the video about the rules of Olympic archery.

Para Archery – A Picture of Precision

Para archery has been a staple of the Paralympic Games since the inaugural Games in Rome in 1960, where 19 athletes participated. The 2024 Games will consist of 140 athletes competing in 9 medal events, taking place from Aug. 29-Sept. 5.

Athletes shoot from either 50 or 70 meters, depending on the bow. Recurve bow events use a 122cm target at 70m and compound bow events use an 80cm target at 50m.

Watch the video Sport Explainer – Para Archery to find out more about this amazing sport and view the full competition schedule for all the action in Paris.

Helpful Links

• Where you can shoot
• Shooting sports website
• Firearm basics and basic shooting skills
• Firearm fundamentals course
• Shooting sports Facebook

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