A Celebration on Ice and Snow, Beijing 2022: Para Biathlon

Para biathlon tests athletes’ skiing and shooting skills. Biathletes take a round of shooting after skiing laps. Penalties are assessed when a target is missed. The final ranking is determined by the competition result and the classification coefficient.

The para biathlon for both men and women includes sprint, middle distance and long distance in three categories: standing, sitting and visually impaired. A total of 18 gold medals will be awarded. Visually impaired biathletes use special sound signals to locate the target and decide when to shoot.

Skiing is a test of an athlete’s physical strength, endurance and will, while shooting requires the utmost precision. Para biathlon requires athletes to be strong, composed and quickly adapt from dynamic skiing to static shooting, and for visually impaired athletes also to precisely distinguish sounds.

Copyright: the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022– A Celebration on Ice and Snow, translated by Xing Yutang