How a Deadly Military Tradition Fuels the Untold Drama Behind Olympic Biathlon Champions
The military links are not as strong in the Nordic countries
Biathlon’s origins can be traced back to military exercises in Scandinavia. The sport was called military patrol at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924.
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But the military connection is not as strong these days in Norway and Sweden, two of the sport’s leading nations, whose biathletes are mostly civilians.
Siegfried Mazet, the head coach of the Norwegian team, said Norway doesn’t have programs preparing biathletes for service in the military after they retire.



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