The bow was an important tool and weapon for the hunting in
ancient Mongolia. It is now used for sport. Archery is one of the
major event of the "Nadamu." Archery not only improves physical
strength, but strengthens calmness and decisiveness.
Mongolian archery is divided into archery on foot and archery on
horseback. Each participant can fire nine arrows in three rounds,
those who hit the most targets will be the winner. The archers wear
colorful robes and riding boots during the contest.
Archery on foot: All archers make preparations and fire at the
bull's eye at the same time. If the bull's eye is hit, it will
falloff and the audience will applaud. The prize will be awarded to
the archers by the organizing committee at the end of the
contest.
Archery on horseback: The participants are archers and riders at
the same time. Each participant is allowed to take only 23 arrows.
Each one can fire altogether nine arrows in three rounds. The
arrows and horses are provided by the participants. The run is 4m
in width and 85 m in length. Three targets will be set and the
space between targets shall be 25 m. At the time of competition,
the archers draw arrows from their bag and the award will be
granted according to the number of arrows that hit the target.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, steel
arrows, plastic arrows, nylon arrows and metal arrows were
gradually introduced. Archery experienced vigorous development. The
Inner Mongolian shooting team has obtained numerous honors in
domestic and foreign contests.
