ON THE ROAD TO LONDON

ROAD TO
I
SSF NEWS MagaziNE’S jourNEy through thE
hiStory oF ShootiNg at thE gaMES coNtiNuES
today With thE PiStol EvENtS, aFtEr rEviEWiNg
riFlE ShootiNg iN thE FirSt iSSuE oF thE yEar. NExt
StoP: royal artillEry BarrackS, WoolWich, loNdoN.
That’s where the 2012 Olympic Games will take place, on the lines of an
innovative shooting range, a temporary structure which will be used for
the first time in the history of our sport. There, the five Olympic events
of pistol shooting will take place starting on July 28, when the best
shooters of the world will compete in the first pistol match, the 10m Air
Pistol Men event. But that’s what will happen in a few weeks, at the
end of July. Let’s take a look back at how this all began. Pistol shooting
has been a part of the Games since the very beginning. The founder
of the modern Olympics, Pierre Fredy bAron de couberTin,
creator of the first modern Games in 1896, was a pistol shooter himself.
The noble French man was a sport aficionado, practicing boxing, fencing,
rugby, rowing and horse riding, but he had a special attachment
to pistol shooting, so much that he earned the title of French champion
seven times in his lifetime. But in spite of its noble origins, Pistol shooting
became a mass sport in the following centuries, and shooters from
115 diFFerenT nATionAl olymPic commiTTees have competed
in the Games since then. Once again – as seen in Rifle events – us AThleTes
have been the most active shooters, with 82 athletes competing
in Pistol events in 22 different editions of the Olympic Games. Following
them, the home nation of the modern Olympics founders, FrAnce, has
participated in 21 editions, placing 62 athletes on the Pistol lines.
6 ISSF NEWS
LONDON
PISTOL SHOOTING
AT THE SOURCE OF THE OLYMPIC LEGEND
sweden, a country well represented for years by Pistol legend
rAGnAr skAnAker, participated in 19 different Olympics with 52
athletes competing throughout the years, while GreAT briTAin, the
host of the next 2012 Olympic Games, also has had a proud tradition of
pistol shooting. Starting on the very first edition, in 1896, and then for 16
editions, 51 British athletes have competed in the Olympics. Since that
first edition, when Pistol shooting was accepted among the top sports
as a part of the Olympic competitions, events have changed, and technique
has evolved dramatically. But the basic skills are still the same:
a strong mind and a steady hand are required, and there is no technological
improvement which can substitute for hard training. Hours
and hours of work before a target, competing against yourself, trying to
reach the score that will take you to the top. (Table 1)
bARON DE COUbERTIN Pierre Fredy (FRA)
Photo: Scott Ehardt