The bow, the first device built that could launch a projectile faster than a human arm, was created thousands of years ago. Archery, the practice of shooting arrows from a bow, was developed in human prehistory and has been used in both hunting and combat around the world. Over the centuries, the assortment of tools used for archery has expanded to include more than the simple hand-carved longbow. Today, archers can use manufactured fiberglass bows outfitted with a variety of technological devices, including compasses and sights to increase accuracy and pulleys to improve speed.
 

As the equipment involved in archery evolved, so too did the practice itself, shifting from hunting to sport. Archery gained wide appeal across Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries because of its association with the wildly popular English folklore, Robin Hood. Even today, the legend lives on; a "Robin Hood" refers to an arrow whose shaft is split by a second arrow shot into the exact same spot. Popularity soared and the National Archery Association, established in 1879, held the first national tournament in Chicago.
 

Officials introduced archery as an Olympic sport – the first open to women – at the Summer Games in Paris in 1900. With no standardized rules, the sport disappeared from the Olympics for more than 50 years. The 1972 Games in Munich readmitted archery, with rules implemented by the Federation Internationale de Tir a l’Arch (FITA). Today, archers participate in four events at the Olympics: Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual, Men’s Team and Women’s Team. Athletes compete in a head-to-head elimination tournament. FITA, among the first groups to express interest in the International Olympic Committee’s call to start a Youth Olympic Games in 2010, still acts as the governing body for competitions around the world. In these games, organizers anticipate that youth aged 14 to 18 will compete at the same distance adult competitors do: 70 meters (230 feet).

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