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BIATHLON - WHAT IS BIATHLON? |
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BIATHLON - WHAT IS BIATHLON?
2007-2008 Season
What is Biathlon?
Event Descriptions
Biathlon Course, Shooting Range, and Equipment
Safety
Terminology
What is Biathlon?
Biathlon is an exciting sport that challenges participants with a diverse range of skills that no other sport requires -
the endurance, speed, strength and coordination needed for cross-country skiing and the concentration, focus, accuracy and split second timing needed for accurate and fast target shooting under pressure.
Biathlon also teaches people how to use rifles in a safe and non-confronting manner, a point that is emphasized heavily in the sport. What is more, Biathlon is a lot of fun!
The word biathlon is of Greek origin and means "two tests".
The combination of skiing and shooting used in the sport today is founded on a tradition of hunting stemming back over four thousand years.
The first recorded biathlon race was organized in Scandinavia in 1767 but regular competitions did not take hold until the early 20th century.
It was initially contested in the Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, France in 1924 and has been a permanent fixture in the Olympics since 1960.
Today, biathlon events combine the two opposing disciplines of freestyle cross-country ski technique with precision target shooting using .22-calibre rifles at a 50 m range.
Participants ski a designated ski loop and then ski into the range to fire five shots at five targets in either a standing or prone (lying down) position. For every shot missed the participant is penalized.
Depending on the type of race, the penalty is either added skiing distance in the form of a 150 m penalty loop or having an extra minute added to their time.
The participant then skis and shoots again, repeating this sequence until the required number of ski legs and shooting bouts are completed. Athletes compete over distances ranging from 2.5 km for our youngest competitors to 20 km for the men.
In addition to being a Winter Olympic sport, there is an annual World Cup series in Biathlon with events being held primarily in Europe where the sport enjoys massive appeal and extensive television coverage.
There is also a Biathlon World Championships held every winter except for Olympic years. The combination of skills and the nature of the event makes Biathlon an extremely exciting sport to watch.
For these reasons, Biathlon is one of the most widely watched winter sports in Europe!
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Event Descriptions
The descriptions that follow are based on the international rules for men's and women's competitions. Other categories use shorter skiing distances and may shoot fewer times or use modified targets. A complete list of events is provided in the table below.
Individual Competition
The Individual is the oldest competition discipline in Biathlon.
In this event participants must ski a total of five ski legs and complete four shooting bouts, alternating between prone shooting and standing shooting each time they enter the range.
Participants start at 30-second intervals and ski a total of 20 km. For every shot missed, the participant has one minute added to his time.
Top biathletes require around 50-60 minutes to complete the course and will generally finish the race with fewer than 2 shooting penalties.
It usually takes women around 45-55 minutes to complete their 15 km course and they display the same outstanding shooting results.
Sprint Competition
In the Sprint competition, participants are required to complete three ski legs and two shooting bouts.
Participants shoot in the prone position in their first bout of shooting and standing in their second.
The men race over a total distance of 10 km while the women's course is 7.5 km long.
Once again participants start at 30-second intervals. By comparison with the individual competition, the participant must ski a 150 m penalty loop for every missed shot upon exiting the range rather than being assessed a time penalty.
The penalty loop generally takes 25-30 seconds to complete making the penalty for missing targets not as severe. Consequently, athletes take more risks when shooting and tend to shoot faster than they might in an individual event.
The sprint races tend to be more lively and exciting to watch. Top male athletes generally take around 25-30 minutes to complete the course, while top female athletes take around 23-28 minutes.
Relay Competition
The most exiting and most watched discipline is the relay competition. In this event a team is made up of 4 biathletes, each of whom must ski a total 7.5 km
(for both men and women) with three ski legs and two shooting bouts. Therefore the team covers a total distance of 30 km.
In this event there is an impressive mass start by all the first skiers for each nation. The race is skied very tactically up to the first shooting bout.
The field usually arrives en masse at the firing range, where the competitors fire on the lane corresponding to their start number. Unlike the other competitions, each biathlete has 8 rounds of ammunition for 5 targets.
The first 5 of these rounds are loaded from the magazine. The 3 reserve rounds are placed at the firing point and, if needed, must be loaded one-by-one, a process that takes 9-12 seconds for each.
If all the targets are hit with the first 5 rounds, the athlete can immediately continue to ski without completing a penalty loop. If not, the athlete must continue firing until he has either hit all 5 targets or fired all 8 rounds.
If he has still not hit all 5 targets, the athlete must then cover a 150 m penalty loop for each missed target.
After completing their 7.5 kilometers and two shooting bouts, the athletes hand over to the next athlete by patting them on the back in the handover zone.
The best teams need about 1 hour 20 minutes to cover the 30 km.
The winner is the team who's last athlete crosses the finish line first.
Pursuit Competition
The Pursuit competition is a relatively new event that has been included in World Championships and World Cup events since the 1996/97 seasons.
In a pursuit race the start order is determined by the placing in the previous sprint competition. The winner of the sprint competition will start first.
The second place finisher follows at a time interval that is equal to the time that he was behind the winner of the sprint event.
This is followed down the list with up to 60 participants being allowed to take part in a World Cup event.
In a pursuit, men ski a total distance of 12.5 km and women ski a total distance of 10 km. Each participant shoots four times; in the prone position for the first two bouts and in the standing position for the second two bouts.
For each target missed the participant must ski a 150 m penalty loop. The order of shooting (different from other biathlon competitions) makes the makes the pursuit even more exciting because it allows athletes who are good marksmen in the prone position to take the lead, often only to have the lead change during standing shooting.
Because the biathletes shoot in the lane corresponding to the order in which they arrive and because the first athlete to cross the finish line is the winner, spectators can easily follow the placing throughout the race. With 60 starting athletes, the pursuit race takes around 30 minutes and is very popular on television.
It was included in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Mass Start Competition
The format of the Mass Start is similar to the pursuit event except the distances are a little longer.
However, with a simultaneous start by all of the competitors, the mass start offers the ultimate in excitement and suspense for spectators.
Normally participation is limited to 30, which is the usual number of firing lanes at a World Cup event.
Participation in the Mass Start is based on the top rankings of the current World Cup points standings.
In the World Championships, the three medallists of the individual, sprint and pursuit competitions are automatically included in the mass start.
If athletes are lapped in the competition by the race leader, they must immediately withdraw. The incentive to race hard, therefore, is very great.
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Biathlon Course, Shooting Range and Equipment
A biathlon course consists of a network of cross-country ski trails, which are connected to a shooting range.
The trails form loops of varying lengths up to 5 km that start and finish at the range.
The range itself consists of a series of shooting lanes with sets of five targets at a distance of 50 metres.
Approximately half of the lanes will be allocated for standing shooting and the other half for prone.
There will also be a 150 m penalty loop lurking nearby for those participants who do not hit all five targets.
Strict safety rules are enforced on a biathlon range to ensure there is no danger at any time.
Equipment
Biathlon requires the use of cross-country ski equipment and an accurate .22 calibre rimfire rifle.
In addition, if you are doing Summer Biathlon you may need to use rollerskis, rollerblades, mountain bikes, or running shoes.
Skis and Poles
Biathlon races are freestyle, which means the participant can choose between classic or skating technique.
All elite racers use skating technique because it is faster but some beginners and traditionalists prefer to use classic technique.
Biathletes also train to use classic technique, which enhances their skating skills and provides a variety for workouts and recovery.
In biathlon, the minimum ski length is the participant s height minus 4cm and the poles can be no taller than the athlete.
Rollerskis
Rollerskis are used in summer biathlon events as well as in training for winter biathlon. Rollerskiing is the closest dry-land approximation to cross-country skiing. Rollerskis consist of rectangular aluminum shaft approximately 50 cm in length with a wheel at either end.
The wheels themselves are typically quite narrow (~2 cm) and are made either specifically for rollerskiing or for other equipment such as rollerblades or scooters.
Some rollerskis have ratchets in their back wheels so that they cannot go backwards and can therefore be used for classic skiing.
Biathlon Rifles and Ammunition
The standard biathlon Rifle is a .22 calibre bolt-action rifle with non-optical sights.
Automatic or semi automatic rifles cannot be used and magnified sights are also not allowed.
Biathletes need to fire five shots at a time so the rifles come with five-shot magazines.
While biathlon rifles are very similar to conventional target rifles they are adapted especially for the unique requirements of the sport.
Differences between conventional target rifles and biathlon rifles include:
- snow covers on the rear sights and end of the barrel (to keep falling snow out);
- a carrying harness so participants can carry the rifle on their back;
- magazine holders (a participant needs to carry up to four 5-shot magazines); and
- a prone sling and separate arm band to allow fast transitions between skiing and shooting.
The newest designs of biathlon rifles use "straight pull" bolt actions.
This means that instead of requiring the bolt to be moved up, back, forward, and down to load the rifle, it is simply moved forward and back.
This minimizes disruption while reloading and is faster than conventional bolt action.
The International Biathlon Union rules specify certain parameters that biathlon rifles must meet.
These include a minimum rifle weight of 3.5kg, a minimum trigger weight of 500 g, and 0.22 calibre cartridges must be used (40 grain bullet and muzzle velocity not exceeding 380 metres/second).
Biathlon Targets
Biathlon uses metal falling plate targets. Each target has a white rectangular face plate with 5 target apertures. Behind each aperture is a back falling plate. There is no scoring in biathlon - you either hit or miss.
When a target is hit, the black plate falls away and a white paddle rises to cover the target, indicating that it has been hit.
When a participant has finished five shots, the number of targets remaining black indicates the number of penalties they accumulated. All five targets can easily be reset with the pull of a string by a range official or by the push of a button on electronically equipped ranges.
The targets for standing are 115 mm in diameter and 45mm for prone.
Each target can be set on either standing or prone by adjusting either the size of the face plate. When viewed from 50 metres the size of the aiming mark appears the same whether the targets are set on standing or prone.
Thus, the participant always aims at a black aiming mark that is 115 mm in diameter but when shooting prone they must be more accurate to record a hit.
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Safety
Stringent regulations govern all actions of the competitors with regard to shooting safety and rifle handling.
Even the smallest violation of a safety regulation results in a disqualification.
As a consequence of the very strictly enforced safety rules, Biathlon has an excellent safety record.
All beginners are required to take range instruction from the coaches and will be allowed to train and compete providing they demonstrate the ongoing commitment to safety in all aspects of the sport.
Biathlon is a family sport and we encourage adults as well as the young athletes to take the firearms safety course.
Parents are encouraged to become involved with assisting on the range to ensure that we adherence to the federal firearms policy and to volunteer during competitions.
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Terminology
Clean Shooting: Hitting all five targets in one shooting bout.
Clicks: Sight adjustments for wind direction and intensity are made by moving the rear apertures in different directions. The degree of change is measured by the number of clicks turned.
Declared Rounds: In relay events 8 bullets are carried in each clip. Upon entering the range, the biathlete must deposit the extra three rounds in a cup at the shooting point before commencing the bout of shooting. If more than 5 rounds are needed to hit the 5 targets, the extra "declared" rounds may then be hand loaded and used.
Harness: Backpack-like shoulder straps used for carrying the rile on the back.
Magazine or Clip: Used to hold five .22 calibre rifle cartridges. Up to four clips can be stored in the rifle stock while the biathlete is skiing the course. At the range, a clip is taken from the stock and inserted into the rifle as needed.
Prone: A lying down position used for shooting.
Penalty loop: A 150 m ski loop located near the range which must be skied once for every missed shot in a sprint, pursuit, relay or mass start competition.
Skating technique: The group of skiing skills most often used while skiing in a biathlon event. The movement is much like that of an ice-skater
Sling: A belt or webbing used to stabilize the rifle in prone shooting. It is attached to the stock of the rifle and hooks into a band on the biathletes upper arm.
Snow Flaps: The caps covering the rifle muzzle and rear sights to prevent snow from entering the rifle. The snow flaps must be lifted before the participant shoots.
Zeroing: The time spent before a race (usually 45 minutes) when the participants shoot at paper targets and adjusts their rifle sights in order to align their shots with the centre of the bull's eye.
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