The Sport of Biathlon
Biathlon is an Olympic winter sport, which combines competitive, free-technique crosscountry skiing and small-bore rifle marksmanship. Several other competition forms of movement and shooting - such as ski archery, snowshoe Biathlon, running and shooting and mountain bike Biathlon - are also normally included in the general category of biathlon. The word competition is used in biathlon instead of race because it is not only a race but a combination of two different competitive activities.
The combination of two very contradictory disciplines, skiing and shooting, in the same competition confronts an athlete with a very demanding challenge. Cross-country racing requires intense, full out physical exertion over an extended period of time while shooting demands extremely fine control and stability. When athletes arrive at the shooting range, they have to shoot at a very small target, with a racing heartbeat and heaving chest because the clock is running even while they are shooting. Switching from high-powered cross-country skiing to exacting marksmanship requires strength and control. The objective is to ski at high speed, yet reserve enough energy to hit five targets at the rifle range as fast as possible. It is a very exciting sport! Biathlon is the most popular winter sport on TV in Europe. Biathlon competitions are televised live and attract upwards of 40,000 spectators!
The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually, the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, and then demonstrated in 1928, 1936 and 1948 but did not regain Olympic recognition then. During the mid-1950s, however, biathlon was introduced into the Russian and Swedish winter sport circuits and was widely enjoyed by the public. This new surge in popularity aided the effort of having biathlon gain entry into the Winter Olympics. The first World Championship in biathlon was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. Women were first allowed in Olympic biathlon in 1992 in Albertville.
For more information, see http://www.biathloncanada.ca/
The combination of two very contradictory disciplines, skiing and shooting, in the same competition confronts an athlete with a very demanding challenge. Cross-country racing requires intense, full out physical exertion over an extended period of time while shooting demands extremely fine control and stability. When athletes arrive at the shooting range, they have to shoot at a very small target, with a racing heartbeat and heaving chest because the clock is running even while they are shooting. Switching from high-powered cross-country skiing to exacting marksmanship requires strength and control. The objective is to ski at high speed, yet reserve enough energy to hit five targets at the rifle range as fast as possible. It is a very exciting sport! Biathlon is the most popular winter sport on TV in Europe. Biathlon competitions are televised live and attract upwards of 40,000 spectators!
The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually, the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, and then demonstrated in 1928, 1936 and 1948 but did not regain Olympic recognition then. During the mid-1950s, however, biathlon was introduced into the Russian and Swedish winter sport circuits and was widely enjoyed by the public. This new surge in popularity aided the effort of having biathlon gain entry into the Winter Olympics. The first World Championship in biathlon was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. Women were first allowed in Olympic biathlon in 1992 in Albertville.
For more information, see http://www.biathloncanada.ca/
