about Para biathlon

Para biathlon combines two winter sports where athletes compete across three classes - vision impairment, standing and sitting, alternating between skiing through a cross-country trail and shooting at targets.

The events include sprint, middle distance, pursuit and individual competitions and take place on a 2km or 2.5km course skied three or five times in the free technique for a total race distance between 7.5 to 12.5km. Between the skiing stages, athletes must stop in the shooting range and hit five targets located at a distance of 10m. For each missed target either a one-minute time penalty or a penalty loop has to be skied immediately after leaving the shooting range.

The winner is determined by the athlete who completes the competition with the fastest overall time. The most crucial success factor lies in alternating the skills of physical endurance and shooting accuracy during the competition.

Athletes with vision impairment are assisted by acoustic signals in shooting, which depending on signal intensity, indicate when the athlete is on target.

Para biathletes do not carry their rifles during the skiing stage but receive them in the biathlon range. Athletes with a physical impairment use personal rifles that are brought to the shooting mat by coaches when the athlete arrives at the range. Athletes with vision impairment use standardised rifles that remain at the shooting mat and are the same for all athletes.

Athletes shoot in the prone position; however, some sit skiers may shoot in the sitting position if they are unable to shoot prone due to their impairment.

Para biathlon is governed by the International Biathlon Union (IBU).

Para biathlon History

Para biathlon was first included in the Paralympic Winter Games at Innsbruck 1988 with standing athletes competing. Four years later at Tignes-Albertville 1992, athletes with vision impairments were also included.

Women’s Para biathlon events, as well as events in the sitting class, were added to the Paralympic programme at Lillehammer 1994.

At Torino 2006, Ukrainian athletes were the first to complete a medal sweep in the sport winning gold, silver and bronze in the women’s 10km sitting.  Ukraine repeated the feat in the women’s 7.5km sitting, as did Russia in the men’s 12.5km sitting.

At Beijing 2022, 86 athletes from 14 nations competed in Para biathlon events. Seven nations had athletes win medals. The Ukrainian duo of Oksana Shyshkova and Vitaliy Lukyanenko, as well as the USA’s Oksana Masters, won two gold medals apiece. 

To date 21 nations have won Paralympic medals in the sport, including 16 that have won gold.  Russia is the most successful nation (24 gold medals, 27 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals).

Germany’s Verena Bentele (five gold medals and one bronze medal) and Ukraine’s Vitaliy Lukyanenko are the most successful female and male athletes in the sport respectively.

Did you know ?

The target size in Para Biathlon for athletes with vision impairments is just 21mm, while for athletes with a physical disability, it is 13mm. Both must be targeted from 10m away.