Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms and bows/crossbows.
The International Shooting Sport Federation recognizes several shooting events, some of which have Olympic status. They are divided into four disciplines: rifle, pistol, shotgun and running target.
Shooting sports have been included at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics except at the 1904 and 1928 games.
The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these early competitions are still seen by the organization as the beginning of a continuous row of championships. By this logic, the 2006 competition in Zagreb was called the 49th ISSF World Shooting Championships. These championships, including all ISSF shooting events, are held every four years since 1954. For the shotgun events only, there is an additional World Championship competition in odd-numbered years. These extra competitions are not numbered. In running target, there will be World Championships in Olympic years.
Matthew D. Emmons is an American rifle shooter. He competed in various events at the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics and won a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal.
Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, was a British sport shooter and founder of Accuracy International. Competing in ISSF 50metre and 300metre rifle events, he dominated his events for several years, becoming the first shooter to win the Olympic 50metre 3-Position rifle event twice. He held or shared 5 World Records in 300metre rifle events.
North Korea competed as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. It was the first time that the nation had competed at the Summer Olympic Games. 37 competitors, 23 men and 14 women, took part in 23 events in 10 sports. North Korea won the first Olympic gold medal from either Korea.
The men's 50 metre team small-bore rifle was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event, with a mixed-distance team small-bore rifle event having been held in 1908. A standing 50 metre team small-bore event would be held in 1920. The competition was held on Wednesday, 3 July 1912.
The men's 50 metre team small-bore rifle, standing position was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only appearance of the event in the standing position, with a similar team competition being held in 1908 and 1912. The competition was held on 2 August 1920. 50 shooters from 10 nations competed.
Gustaf Eric Carlberg was a Swedish Army officer, diplomat, sport shooter, fencer, and modern pentathlete who competed at the 1906, 1908, 1912 and 1924 Olympics alongside his twin brother Vilhelm.
André Parmentier was a French sport shooter who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics and at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was born in Sauveterre de Guyenne, Gironde. In 1908, he was a member of the French team, winning the bronze medal in the team free rifle competition. He also finished fourth with the French team in the team military rifle event. In the 1908 Summer Olympics he also participated in the following events:
300 m rifle prone is an ISSF shooting event. It was added to the World Championship program in 1982, and was based on the English Match but shot with the same full-power rifle as in 300 metre rifle three positions. The course of fire, like in the small-bore 50 metre rifle prone, is 60 shots for both men and women.
Hrachya Petikyan is an Armenian sports shooter and USSR, European, four-time World and Olympic Champion. Petikyan is a four-time Olympian who has represented three nations: the Soviet Union, the Unified Team and the Republic of Armenia. He has been awarded the Honored Master of Sport of the USSR title.
Kurt Ivar Björn Johansson was a Swedish shooter who competed at the 1948, 1960 and 1968 Olympics. In 1948 in London he placed fourth in the free rifle, three positions, 300 m event. In 1960 he finished 19th in the same event and 15th in the 50 m rifle prone competition. In 1968 he placed 17th, 20th and 26th in the mixed free rifle, three positions, 300 m, mixed small-bore rifle, three positions, 50 m, and mixed small-bore rifle, prone, 50 m, respectively.
John Robert "Bob" Churchill is a former three positional small bore rifle shooter, who shot for the British National team in the seventies and eighties. He competed in the 50 metre rifle, three positions event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the 1978 Seoul ISSF World Shooting Championships, he was gold medalist for both individual and — alongside Barry Dagger and Malcolm Cooper — the men's team events for the 50m free rifle kneeling 40 shots, kneeling position. For many years, he was a member of the Tunbridge Wells Target Shooting club as well as clubs in Somerset. In 1981, he co-wrote Modern Air Weapon Shooting with Granville Davies.
The Mixed 50 metre rifle three positions event was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1976 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventh appearance of the event. The competition was held on 21 July 1976 at the shooting ranges in Montreal. 57 shooters from 34 nations competed.
Bullseye shooting is a category of shooting sport disciplines where the objective is to score points with carefully placed precision fire by hitting a target as close to its center as possible. The name refers to the target center's nickname, the "bull's eye". In Scandinavia, this type of shooting competition is referred to as Range-Shooting, as it usually takes place at dedicated shooting range.
Yitzhak Yonassi is an Israeli former Olympic sport shooter.
Yair Davidovitz is an Israeli former Olympic sport shooter, and in 1984 matched the world record of a perfect score of 400 in the Men's Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres.
