Power ranking every single sport at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
By Nick Villano
28. Archery
Olympic archery sounds very cool. Archery has always had this ambiance of a very cool competition. So many teen movies add archery because there’s a precision involved that comes with envy. Being able to hit a bullseye with a certain level of each is a desirable trait.
Archery goes back to ancient civilization, which used the practice to capture its food. There are arrowheads in existence that are more than 60,000 years old. It’s great to have a sport with true ancient history behind it.
The sport is exactly as you remember it as a kid. There are no silly gimmicks or crazy rules. It’s direct, and that’s why we like archery. Hit the arrow as close to the center as possible to beat your opponent. The person with the arrow closest to the center wins. The archer is standing 70 meters away from the target, which is just 70 centimeters in diameter.
The amount of concentration needed to excel at this sport comes off over the TV. That’s important for Olympic sports. Not only do we need to be impressed by the feats were seeing, the drama and anticipation need to be felt by those watching at home. Archery strangely does that. With its close-up camera shots and the pause that happens from the time an arrow is pulled back to the point it’s let go, the tension can be felt everywhere.