Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, 9 shooting events were included. Many other shooting events were featured in Paris at about the same time, but only 9 events are considered Olympic. The International Olympic Committee has never decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not.[1] The competitions were held from 3 August to 5 August and took place at the military sporting complex in Satory and at Boulogne-Billancourt.
| Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20 metre military pistol | men |
| 50 metre free pistol | men |
| 50 metre free pistol, team | men |
| Trap shooting | men |
| 300 metre free rifle, standing | men |
| 300 metre free rifle, kneeling | men |
| 300 metre free rifle, prone | men |
| 300 metre free rifle, three positions | men |
| 300 metre free rifle, team | men |
Medal summary
Excluded events
Competitors in these events had to kill as many live pigeons as possible. Birds were released one at a time from 'traps' in front of the shooters; winners were determined by whoever shot the most birds out of the sky. A shooter was eliminated once they missed two birds. Nearly 300 birds were killed. A prize purse of up to 20,000 Francs was awarded to the winners, though the top four finishers agreed to split the winnings.[2] This was the first and only time in Olympic history when animals were killed on purpose. Animal rights campaigns were mounted to stop live shooting; in 1902 bans came into force in the United States leading to the introduction of clay pigeons.[3] The following results are not included in the IOC Olympic results list:
Live pigeon shooting - 20 franc entrance fee
| Place | Athlete | Pigeons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 22 |
| 2 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 21 |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 19 |
Live pigeon shooting - 200 franc entrance fee
| Place | Athlete | Pigeons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 21 |
| 2 |  | 20 |
| 3 | | 18 |
| 18 |
Running game target
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 20 |
| 20 | |
| 3 | | 19 |
Participating nations
A total of 72 shooters from 8 nations competed at the Paris Games:
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (6 nations) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 | |
References
- Lennartz, Karl; Teutenberg, Walter (1995). Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris. Kassel, Germany: Agon-Sportverlag. p. 147. ISBN 3-928562-20-7.
In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.
- "Live Pigeon Shooting". Topend Sports Network. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- Harris, Tim (2012). Sport: Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4090-7810-4.
Bibliography
- International Olympic Committee medal winners database
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: Shooting 1900. Retrieved 2 March 2006.
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.
