The biathlon competition annually attracts thousands of fans and attracts millions of TV viewers to the screens. The name of Ole Einar Bjørndalen was heard even by those who are not fond of this type of variety.
origin of name
The name of this sport quite accurately reflects its essence. In Greek, "bi" means "two", "atlone" means "competition". It is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting at targets from a standing and prone position. The targets have evolved over the years before arriving at their modern appearance - five black circles that close on impact.
History
Researchers offer different versions of the beginning of the history of biathlon. According to one of them, even in the 18th century, there was entertainment in Norway - cross-country skiing, interrupted by shooting at a target. But they did not take him seriously, and there were few fans of this sport - due to the imperfection of firearms of that time. It is difficult to talk about who and when founded biathlon, because for hunters of the northern countries, many kilometers of ski runs and aimed shooting have been commonplace for many centuries. However, biathlon did not remain without a birthday. It is celebrated on March 2nd. In 1958, on this day, Austria hosted the first ever World Championship in this sport.
rules
In modern biathlon, there are six types of competitions, differing in the length of distances, starting order, number of lines and types of penalties: sprint, individual race, graze or pursuit race, relay race, mixed relay, mass start. Target shooting is performed from two positions: prone or standing.
Interesting Facts
During shooting, biathletes are prohibited from leaving the shooting mat. There were cases when an athlete who dropped a cartridge reached for it and got off the mat. Not only the offender was automatically disqualified, but the entire team.
Sensors are put on the feet in the ankle area of biathletes before the competition. When athletes drive past special marks, their speed is measured.
Each athlete must have two spare rifles during the competition. Only a team member can transfer a spare rifle to him - and only at the firing range. If the biathlete finishes without a rifle, the result will not count. At least the trigger and the barrel must be brought to the finish line.
At the first Summer Biathlon World Championship in 1996, Russian athletes became the winners.
