In this image provided by U.S. Biathlon young cross-country skiers attending the Intermountain Youth Ski Festival in Victor, Idaho on March 1, 2025, line up to take their turns shooting laser rifles provided by the U.S. Biathlon Association to help grow the sport. (John Farra/U.S. Biathlon via AP)

Biathlon is one of the most-watched winter sports in Europe and will be one of the highlights for many fans at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

It's less popular in the United States — a rare example of a winter sport in which the U.S. has never won an Olympic medal.

This time, however, the U.S. national team heads to the Winter Games with high hopes and plenty of support back home.

Participation in the U.S. has been hampered by a limited access to shooting ranges and the high cost of biathlon rifles. But that's changing due to an investment in new biathlon centers and a laser rifle program that’s bringing the sport to cross country ski centers across the country.

John Farra, U.S. Biathlon’s director of sport development, launched the laser rifle program by setting up ranges at youth cross-country ski festivals where skiers lined up 10-deep for a turn on the mat. He also started a pilot program that loans rifles to Nordic centers for short periods.

“If we can continue to do this kind of targeted partnerships with Nordic communities, at the end of the program the kids will be biathletes, not just kids who have shot laser rifles,” he said.

U.S. Biathlon membership almost doubled in the last seven years — from 818 in 2018 to 1,596 in 2025. That’s still well below the numbers in leading European countries such as Norway, whose biathlon federation has about 8,000 members.

New biathlon ranges are popping up across the country. Snowblower manufacturer Ariens Company built a world-class range in Brillion, Wisconsin, and the American Birkebeiner — the largest Nordic ski race in North America — is partnering in the development of another range.

“By providing world-class facilities and resources, we’re helping shape the next generation of biathletes and fueling their journey from local club to the global stage,” said Sean Becker, general manager of the Ariens Nordic Center.

The Ariens range has 20 target lanes and an additional 10 points for non-standard rifles, allowing paraskiers and younger athletes to shoot laser or infrared rifles. They hold weekly try-biathlon clinics and have hosted local races and national championships that draw people from across the country.

Speed and precision

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting. It's been part of the Olympic program since 1960 for men and 1992 for women.

Biathletes ski around trails that run 1.5-3.5 kilometers (0.9-2.2 miles), depending on race format, carrying a .22 caliber rifle on their backs that weighs around 3.7 kg (8 lbs) and typically costs around $4,000.

Laser rifles have the look and feel of a standard biathlon rifle but instead of shooting bullets, they fire lasers, making them a safer alternative that can be used anywhere without risk of injury.

The International Biathlon Union, the sport's governing body, launched a program in 2023 to help young athletes try the sport. They set up a project for biathlon organizations around the world to secure rifles for their clubs.

In the 2023-24 season, 42 country federations applied and the IBU provided support for 365 laser rifles. U.S. biathlon took 10 and devised a plan to get them into the hands of skiers.

Farra identified the country's largest youth cross-country ski festivals and attended as many as possible. One event in Soldier Hollow, Utah, drew up to 650 skiers.

His team set out mats, targets and a promotional banner inviting ski racers to try biathlon. The kids lined up to take turns shooting. Farra estimates they exposed more than 2,400 skiers to biathlon through these events.

“Every cross country skier should know about biathlon and all these kids should at least have the opportunity to try it," Farra said. “That’s been our strategy.”

Growing the sport

The next step was to provide laser rifles to a handful of Nordic ski centers for a limited period so they could hold clinics and races. Last season, four centers participated: Glacier Nordic Club in Whitefish, Montana, Vail and Telluride Nordic centers in Colorado and Auburn Ski Club in Truckee, California.

Jennie Bender, executive director and coach at Glacier, said bringing biathlon to their community makes sense. Montana has the highest gun-ownership per capita of any state, and people in Whitefish have an outdoor recreation mindset. Skiers welcomed the opportunity to try it.

“The laser rifles look real and have a great training feel,” Bender said. “We set up the range just like a biathlon range with mats and our head coach did a really great job talking about centering on the target.”

Gus Johnson, program director at Auburn Ski Club, said they've run a biathlon program since 2017, but recent changes in California firearms laws have limited their ability to loan .22-caliber rifles to beginners, which makes it impossible for people to try the sport without spending thousands on a rifle.

“So our development pipeline is going to be geared toward laser rifles,” he said. “If they really like it they can purchase their own rifles.”

The Olympic biathlon competition will be held in Anterselva, near Italy’s border with Austria, starting on Feb. 8.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

News from © The Associated Press, 2026