Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network)- Unlike 1900 when actual live pigeons were executed for the thrill of sport and competition, clay pigeons are again on the menu when marksmen and markswomen compete in 15 events in shooting in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The events are split into three different areas (rifle, pistol and shotgun), with men having one additional event in each discipline. Both men and women will compete in 50m rifle 3-position and 10m air rifle events, with the men adding 50m rifle prone to their plate. In pistol shooting both sexes take aim in 10m air pistol, while women add 25m pistol to their slate. The men contend in 50m pistol and 25m rapid fire pistol as well.
Men and women try to remain steady in the shotgun which includes trap and skeet, with the males getting more adventurous with a double trap as well. The shotgun events are the ones that include the clay targets, which are sent flying at the shooter's command.
In both the rifle and pistol events 10-ring targets are utilized, with a number of the individual rounds having their own unique set of rules which shooters must follow in order to score points.
It should come as little surprise that the United States has had the most success in shooting over the years, the nation's 49 gold medals alone almost as many as the total number of medals (57) logged by the Soviet Union/USSR.
U.S. Women have more gold medals (six) than any other nation, but are still second behind this year's host country in terms of overall medals, with China laying claim to 13.
Rarely does an Olympic competitor have trouble getting his/her equipment over to the host country, but it wasn't until the end of June that U.S. marksmen learned they'd be permitted to bring their own firearms with them to Beijing. President Bush cleared the way for shooters to bring their own guns over to the Olympics with barely a month remaining before departure.
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