THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BIATHLON ...

Paralympic Biathlon Paralympischer BiathlonParalympic BiathlonParalympischer BiathlonBiathlon for athletes with a physical disability was introducedin Innsbruck in 1988. In 1992, athletes with a visualimpairment were also able to compete in Biathlon. TheLillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games marked amilestone in the history of Paralympic Nordic Skiing. Biathlonwas introduced as a medal event for men and women,and for the first time Nordic skiers competed at the samevenue used for the Olympic Winter Games.The Paralympic Biathlon competitions are currentlyopen to athletes with a physical disability and blindness/visual impairment. Athletes with blindness/visual impairmentare assisted by acoustic signals, which depending onsignal intensity, indicate when the athlete is on target.and in accordance with specifications of theInternational Sport Shooting Federation’s(ISSF) rule. Blind athletes are shooting withan electronical rifle that allows aiming byhearing. The closer the rifle points to thecentre of the target the higher the tone whichthey hear through headphones. The differenttones that occur when the rifle is moved, allowsthe shooter to find the exact centre ofthe target. The rifles remain on the range andare not individualized. The target size has adiameter of 30mm for visually impaired ath-Differences to IBU-competitionsThe rifle used by the athletesis any type of air or CO2rifle of conventionalappearance witha five shot clipThe official Magazine of the IBU 20 I 2010 biathlonworld 95