Olympic Skeet is a variant of skeet shooting, and the specific variant used in the Olympic Games. Two throwing machines at different heights launch a series of 25 targets in a specific order, some as singles and some as doubles, with the shooter having a fixed position between them. Men's competitions consist of five such series, while women's have three. The top six competitors shoot an additional series as a final round, on targets filled with special powder to show hits more clearly to the audience.
Unlike English Skeet, participants shooting Olympic Skeet must call for the clays with their gun off the shoulder, with the stock positioned level with the hip. There is also a delay switch incorporated within the clay trap, meaning the clays might be released immediately, or up to three seconds after the clay is called by the shooter. Under no circumstances must the gun be moved until the clay is released, or the shooter will face disqualification.
The event was introduced in 1968, and until 1992 both men and women were allowed to participate. But in 1996 the event was limited to men only, which was somewhat controversial because the 1992 Olympic Champion was a woman, Zhang Shan of China. In 2000, a female skeet event was introduced.