Quick Guide: Archery

In the individual competition, archers battle against each other in one-on-one battles. Each competitor gets a total of 18 arrows, split into six 'ends', with the highest total score winning the match. In the team event, there are three ends of nine arrows, with each member taking three arrows. Archers stand 70 metres from the target and have a maximum of 40 seconds for each arrow.

There are four archery events at the Olympics: both men's and women's for individuals and teams. There is a ranking round after which the top-ranked player takes on the 64th-ranked archer, the second faces the 63rd and so on. The competition is a straight knockout, with the number of ends reduced to four at the quarter-final stage, when the archers alternate every arrow rather than firing three in a row. The semi-final winners compete for the gold and silver medals, while the losers go on to the bronze medal match. The team event is structured in a similar way but on a smaller scale, contested between the 16 best national squads from the ranking round. Qualification is awarded to National Olympic Associations rather than to individuals.

Men's and women's individual events (64 archers in each); men's and women's team events (16 teams in each)

Olympic Green Archery Field