Olympic Biathlon

[MikeBjerum]

I took some time this week to research the history of Biathlon.  Among the articles I found was the following:

http://www.biathlon.net/intro.html

Of the many sites I found, this one agrees with most.  The following is one section of the introduction, and I have highlighted the first inclusion in Winter Olympics in red.  I like Biathlon, but I would love to see a return to its roots.  Possibly under the heading of Large Bore, or Classic Class.

Evolution of Modern Competition

The first organized competitions that would be recognizable as Biathlon took place in Norway in 1776. These were team events that combined shooting skill with skiing. Competitions were held at regular intervals betwen 1792 and 1818. Around 1912, again in Norway, the team competition was joined by an individual format race during which ten rounds were fired in two shooting bouts. In the rest of Europe, Germany's first military patrol races were held in 1902.

The first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, France included a military ski patrol race as a demonstration sport, and it was included as a demonstration sport again in 1928, 1936 and 1948. It was not until the 44th session of the International Olympic Committee in Rome in 1949 however that a proposal by Sweden to include a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting as an individual competition open to civilian competitors was accepted .

The first time the word Biathlon shows up is in the rules of 1955. Before that the event was called a "Patrol Race". The Union International de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) integrated Biathlon as another sport in 1957. The first Biathlon World Championships were held in Saalfelden, Austria in 1958. Only 25 athletes from seven countries started in that first 20 km race. But the sport grew quickly.

The first Olympic Biathlon competitions were held in 1960 in Squaw Valley, California (USA). These were 20km races with four shooting stations with targets set at 250m, 200m, 150m, and 100m. The first three stations were done in prone position - the last in standing. Big bore rifles were used - Winchester Model 70s in 30.06, .308, and .243 being popular among US competitors. Cardboard targets were used, and two minute penalties were assessed for misses.

In the 60's, cardboard targets were replaced by glass disks. The 30 km. relay event was added in 1968, and the 10km sprint format was added to the Olympic program in 1980. The sport was made more accessible by changing the standard from the large army rifle calibers to small bore (.22) rifles in the winter season of 1977/78. Womens events were added in the 1992 Winter Olympics. Modern technology changed the target systems, making it cheaper and easy to reset targets, the skating step increased the speed of the race, and TV coverage introduced millions of new and enthusiastic spectators to Biathlon. Currently, though it is a relatively obscure sport in the United States, with perhaps 1,000 athletes nationwide, it is the most popular televised winter sporting event in Europe.

[ExurbanKevin]

To be honest, for biathlon to REALLY return to it's roots, it'd have to done as a two-way match on the Russian-Finnish border...

[MikeBjerum]

True Kevin, but that is the case with ALL Olympic events.  After all, the Olympics originated as a way for groups to demonstrate their military power and strength on the sporting field.  Remember that the next time they are debating if wrestling is too violent to be in the Olympics, but we need to add ribbon dancing in its place.

[tombogan03884]

Last I heard the Kid from Here in NH was favored to win, but good luck finding THAT on a US network .

[MikeBjerum]

Delayed until cancelled on Sunday, and so far word is delayed today due to fog.

[Sponsor]

[mkm]

Woman's is on right now.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[Henny]

I always thought it would be interesting if they'd have a biathlon event where the participants had to use their countries battle rifle. 

That being said, I love watching the biathlon competitions!  Then again, I like shooting and xc skiing. 

[billt]

I watched this gal take Silver in the women's 12.5K Biathalon. She shoots an amazing 84% offhand. That's at a golf ball sized target from 50 yards, after skiing over 8K for the last 5 shot string. That about the equivalent of running a mile at a competitive pace, then trying to thread a needle. She's not too hard to look at either!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Soukalov%C3%A1

[lhprop1]

Does anyone know if those optics they use have any magnification?  Even with magnification, what they do is nothing short of incredible.  Without any magnification, it's damn near super human. 

After a decent workout, I have trouble visually focusing.  Trying to stay steady enough to hit a tiny target at 50m after elevating my heart rate like that?  Fuggitaboutit.       

[billt]

No, there is no glass in the optics. They are very accurate micrometer adjustable iron sights, with replaceable apertures.