Laser biathlon brings more than 100 young athletes to NSW Interschool Competition

More than 100 school-aged children from across New South Wales are getting the opportunity to experience biathlon through the Biathlon Australia NSW Interschool Competition at Perisher.

Despite marginal snow conditions, enthusiasm for the sport has remained high, with 71 young participants taking part in today’s session. A similarly sized group is expected on Thursday, when the programme will focus particularly on some of the younger athletes.

The competition is using Kiwi Precision laser rifles, providing a safe and accessible way for children to learn the fundamentals of biathlon and experience the combination of skiing and shooting.

The laser format has proved particularly valuable at Perisher, where there is no dedicated biathlon shooting range. It also allows organisers to continue delivering the sport when snow conditions are less than ideal.

Across the NSW Interschool programme, more than 100 school-aged children from New South Wales alone are taking part in laser biathlon competition, demonstrating the potential of the format to provide an accessible entry point into the sport.

By reducing some of the infrastructure and environmental barriers associated with traditional biathlon, laser biathlon enables more young people to try the sport and helps create new opportunities for participation in a wider range of locations and conditions.

Katerina Paul, Biathlon 4 All Project Coordinator, said the strong turnout showed the enthusiasm among young people to discover the sport.

“It has been fantastic to see so many kids getting involved, trying biathlon for the first time and enjoying the combination of skiing and shooting.

“We are really pleased to see the Biathlon 4 All philosophy being put into practice here in Australia, with a strong focus on getting more young people involved and creating opportunities for them to discover biathlon.”