MOSCOW, November 22 (R-Sport) - The Russian town of Tyumen is to host the 2014 summer biathlon world championships, the vice-president of the International Biathlon Union said Thursday.
Sergei Kushchenko, who doubles up as the executive director of the Russian Biathlon Union, said the decision was taken at the IBU’s executive committee meeting earlier this month.
He added he was keen to attract top biathletes to the summer championships, which some leading competitors often choose to skip.
“The IBU decided to support us and help us to gather leading biathletes in Tyumen in a year and a half’s time, after the Olympics in Sochi,” he said.
Summer biathlon originally developed as a way for athletes in the traditional winter sport to keep fit during the off-season.
The competitors use rollerskates to simulate skis, while the shooting part of the contest can be left unchanged.
This year’s world championships were held in the Russian city of Ufa.
