Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Archery – Schedule, rules, format and athlete to watch

Number of Events: Four

Games History: Archery appeared in the second-ever Olympic Games in 1900, with the women's event following four years later. But from 1908 to 1972 it featured just once before being reinstated for the last 12 games including in London, where the events kicked off the games and were hosted by the iconic Lord's cricket ground. South Korea are the most successful nation having won medals in each of the last eight Olympics.

Rules: Archers stand 70m from the target and shoot six arrows per set, with individual matches consistent of a best of five sets. Competitors can score between one and 10 points depending where the arrows land on the board, with the highest scorer having two points added to their score after each set. Points are shared for a draw and if athletes are level after five sets then a single arrow shoot-off is held.

The team event consists of three archers, each shooting two arrows. Archers have two minutes to shoot each of their six arrows. The team with the most points after four ends, when 24 arrows are shot, is the winner. In the event of a tie, competitors will shoot one arrow each over one minute. If the teams can still not be separated after an extra end the team with an arrow closest to the centre prevails.

Format: The individual competition consists of 64 athletes each and is a straight knock-out event until the gold and bronze medal matches, with the draw determined by a 72-arrow shoot-off which leads to each player being seeded. The team event includes 12 teams, each containing three archers. The top-four seeds qualify automatically for the quarter-finals, with teams ranked from fifth to 12<sup>th battling it out to join them. A straight knock-out follows.

Key terms

Drawing – The process whereby the archer pulls the mechanism back before releasing the bow

End – A round where both individuals or teams fire arrows to score points.

Skirt – The non-scoring part of the target, avoided by competitors looking to progress

Athlete to watch: Ki Bo Bae (South Korea) – With Oh Jin Hyek having failed to qualify for the all-conquering Koreans, Ki is the only surviving athlete from the six-strong team that competed in London. The 28-year-old won women's team and individual gold four years ago – her singles success coming after a shoot-out with Mexico's Aida Roman - and was the seventh consecutive gold claimed by a Korean woman at the Games. She will be aiming to keep that run going this summer.

Venue: Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí – The 700m stretch often reserved for the Rio carnival will act as the amphitheater for the Archery event. The square, which has hosted concerts from artistes such as Elton John, David Bowie and Nirvana will be rocking with an increased spectator capacity of 18,000 ensuring there will be a genuine atmosphere set against the backdrop of the nerve-jangling sport.

Schedule

Saturday 6 August: Men's team competition and medal matches

Sunday 7 August: Women's team competition and medal matches

Monday 8 August-Tuesday 10 August: Men's and women's individual round of 64, 32 and last 16

Thursday 11 August: Women's quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals

Friday 12 August: Men's quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals