Australian Biathlon Association

Australian Biathlon Association is the national governing body that oversees the Winter Olympic sport of Biathlon in Australia, in both its winter and summer forms. It is affiliated with the International Biathlon Union and the Australian Olympic Committee. It is based at the only biathlon range in Australia, at Mount Hotham, Victoria.[1]

Australian Biathlon Association
SportBiathlon
CategoryNational Governing Body
JurisdictionAustralia
AbbreviationABA
Founded1970s
AffiliationInternational Biathlon Union, Australian Olympic Committee
Regional affiliationAustralia
HeadquartersHotham Biathlon Arena, VIC Australia
LocationMount Hotham VIC Australia
ChairpersonGrant Flanagan
Vice president(s)Ian Waller
SecretaryJohn Mahon
CoachLuca Bormolini
Official website
www.biathlon.asn.au

History and general information

The Australian Biathlon Association began in the 1970s as the North East Victoria Biathlon Association, it has remained the national governing body for the sport of biathlon in Australia, evolving to become the Victorian Biathlon Association, then the Australian/Victorian Biathlon Association in the early 1980s, and is now the Australian Biathlon Association, reflecting its membership base and unitary model of governance.

The Australian Biathlon Association majority of members are still Victorian residents; however there are members who travel from Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory to take part in this Winter Olympic sport each Australian winter. Australia first sent a participant to the Winter Olympic Games at Sarajevo in 1984 (Andrew Paul, VIC) and the first woman biathlete Olympian was Kerryn Rim (NE VIC), Australia's highest-placed Olympic performer, finishing 8th in Women 15 km Individual (Distance) race in 1994.

In 2016–2017, the ABA undertook the largest redevelopment of the Whiskey Flat range at Mount Hotham, to allow 15 lanes of participants at one time. The 15 lanes were ready for the 2017 Australian Winter season of biathlon, and at the Australian Biathlon Championships in August 2017, the range was officially named the Hotham Biathlon Arena, by the Patron of the Australian Biathlon Association, Ms Danielle Green MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria and Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Major Events. After Winter 2017, part of the Hotham Biathlon Arena tracks were sealed to allow rollerskiing during summer. Biathlon upgrade to facilities was also undertaken in 2017 at SSAA Range in Wodonga. Both of these projects are part of the Victorian Government Shooting Sports Facilities Program.

The Association is responsible for the development of biathlon at all levels in Australia and beyond, from grass roots to elite to Masters/Veterans. These activities range from "Laserland" at the Hotham Biathlon Arena and local branches for those Under 12, to sending athletes to International Biathlon Union events during the IBU winter season, plus developing coaches through attendance at the IBU Coach Seminars each year, along with sending developing athletes and coaches to specialist IBU Development Camps each year.

Structure

The Australian Biathlon Association has a modern, streamlined unitary model of governance, with one member one vote, regardless of state/territory of residence. There are several regional branches around Australia, made up of members resident in the area. The largest organisation associated with the ABA is the Australian Defence Force Nordic Biathlon Association.

Due to state firearms legislation, the sport of biathlon may only be practised in the State of Victoria; elsewhere in Australia, members undertake target-rifle-type training events, leading up to peak ABA events at the Hotham Biathlon Arena in winter each year. There is an increasing participation in summer biathlon events at the Hotham Biathlon Arena, near Mount Hotham, VIC, site of the only biathlon range in Australia, with the first Australian Summer Biathlon Championships being held in Easter 2018, following a grant from the Victorian State Government to install a new rollerski track.

See also

References
  1. Inc, Australian Biathlon Association. "Australian Biathlon". www.biathlon.asn.au. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
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