# Shooting...Olympics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 18, 2004, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375 "2004-08-18T10:33:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375/41 "2004-08-19T22:41:18Z")

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I’ve seen two shooting events on TV. I saw the women’s trap and the men’s double trap.

They just don’t televise well. It’s hard to follow what’s going on.

And those target shooters shoot at really tiny targets (because they’re so good).

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**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375/42 "2004-08-20T02:32:33Z")

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> [@Terminus Est](#):
>
> The related [Equestrian Equipment](http://www.athens2004.com/en/EquestrianEquipment) page lists rider’s clothing and horse’s equipment. It says nothing at all about the horse being equipment. Besides, when is your equipment considered to be part of your team?

I can’t find an online cite to support my view. Years ago, however, I read that the Olympics are about the athlete. In equestrian the rider is the athlete, not the horse, and the horse is considered equipment - just like a shooter’s rifle is equipment (Ok, the last bit wasn’t in what I read, but it fits this discussion.).

In addition, I just re-watched the tape I have of Bravo’s eventing coverage and one of the announcers said the same thing.

Since you have an online cite and mine is on tape I’ll go with yours.

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**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375/43 "2004-08-20T15:08:58Z")

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> [@BobT](#):
>
> Shooting has been in the Modern Olympics since 1896. For one Olympics (1900) they even shot at a live doves

Gotta love the imagery, all the nations of the world gathered together in peaceful competition, killing doves. Hard to see why that event didn’t last. 😃

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**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-olympics/260375/44 "2004-08-20T19:44:26Z")

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I read someone (the ubiquitous “somewhere”) that during the Cold War almost all of the Soviet biathalon competitors were active duty Spetznatz commandos.

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