In the USA they started hoarding weapons and ammunition, now in Norway they fear the death of biathlon – Finnish boss: “It feels a bit strange”

The Biathlon World Cup continues on Thursday with the women’s sprint in Pokljuka. Live broadcast on TV2, Areena and the app at 15:15.

Biathlon crisis is brewing in Norway. Equipment manager of the Askeriinen biathlon club Tormod Rangnes opened up For the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK (you switch to another service)that there is a “double crisis” in Norwegian biathlon, at least when it comes to the sport’s enthusiasts and the breadth of the competition.

During the last eight years, the number of enthusiasts has dropped by 30 percent. Currently, there are 1,213 biathletes in Norway who have a license for the sport.

Another, acute crisis, is the “ammunition crisis”. The Norwegian clubs do not get enough ammunition. According to NRK, there has even been a glimpse of the idea that instead of shooting, the enthusiasts would try to throw stones at the targets.

– I’m a little afraid that this will cause the species to die, Rangnes uploaded.

According to Rangnes, suppliers are having trouble delivering cartridges. Norway’s largest ammunition supplier is ABS Shooting. Company manager Mads Lysevold told that it is about the problems of the ammunition manufacturers.

– We received a batch of ammunition yesterday, which was two months late. Then we only received half of the training ammunition we ordered, so everything we have is sold out, Lysevold told NRK.

The biggest shortage is the cartridges used in training.

According to Lysevold, the cause of the problems is manifold. According to him, the corona era brought its own problems. According to Lysevold, the ongoing war in Ukraine also taxes raw materials, gunpowder and lead.

In addition, according to Lysevold, one problem for biathlon is related to the stricter US gun laws, which were passed by the US Senate in the summer. At the beginning of the year, there were mass shootings in the United States, for example at a store in New York and at a school in Texas.

Ammunition is now being hoarded in the United States, says an expert

When gun laws are tightened, it leads to the desire of Americans to hoard ammunition, experts tell NRK.

– The sale of weapons and ammunition accelerates when the US has a president from the Democratic Party and after shooting tragedies. The reason is that people then expect stricter gun laws, explains the expert, Norwegian assistant professor Hilmar Mjelde.

Mjelde explained that the sale of weapons and ammunition generally accelerates in times of crisis. According to him, political anxiety and increased crime accelerated the arms trade during the corona. During the corona pandemic, ammunition sales increased drastically, which increased prices.

An increase in the price of cartridges has also been noted in Norway. According to club employee Rangnes, the Norwegian clubs are in a situation where they do not know how long it will be possible to offer the biathlon hobby, unless more cartridges are quickly obtained.

Rangnes is concerned about shooting sports in general. He points out that it is not possible to recruit new enthusiasts if they do not get to try shooting, because dry training and laser weapons do not correspond to the real conditions of the sport.

– This is stupid for both biathlon and sports shooters. They use the same caliber and struggle with the same thing. This will kill the recruitment of the two sports right after the corona, ABS Shooting’s Lysevold lamented.

The Finnish boss wondered about Norway’s challenges

Executive director of the Finnish Biathlon Union Tapio Pukki says that the number of hobbyists in Finland was slightly increasing before the corona, but then there was a small drop.

Now the goal is to increase the number of licensed hobbyists back to 750–800. Before the corona, the peak number was around 750 biathlon enthusiasts. In general, the direction in the clubs is good, Pukki adds.

According to Puk, there has been no shortage of stakes in Finland like in Norway. In Finland, both the federation and the majority of clubs use Lapua brand products. According to Puk, the representative of the company has said that there is enough stuff.

– We have not had a similar challenge. Somehow, it seems a bit strange how the situation would be so different in Norway.

Nor has a large increase in prices been noticed in Finland yet.

– At least I haven’t noticed on that scale (as they say about Norway). Pukki thinks about this kind of general price increase, which is popping up everywhere.

The Lapua cartridge factory, founded in 1923, now belongs to the Nordic Nammo group. According to its website, the Nammo Group is one of the world’s leading suppliers of ammunition. It has almost 30 locations and an office in 11 different countries, the head office is in Raufoss, Norway.

The Nammo Group says that it represents a group of companies and facilities specializing in ammunition, rocket engines, explosives and pyrotechnics in Europe and North America.

In this case, Lapua means brand or brand. The Lapua brand of miniature rifle cartridges used by cross-country skiers are manufactured in Schönebeck, Germany. It is the Nammo Group’s oldest factory, operating since 1832.

– Lapua is a brand that has existed for a long time and has factories in different countries. They are certainly the market leader in biathlon bets worldwide, Pukki sums up.

Pukki says that practically all Finnish national team athletes use Anschütz Fortner miniature rifles. It is also the number one brand in clubs, although the coverage is a bit wider, because older weapons can be used.

Anschütz, which manufactures sporting weapons, is also located in Ulm, Germany. Weapons manufactured in Finland, such as the Sako brand, are also still in use, but they are clearly older, Pukki says.

The weapons that can be purchased for ordinary enthusiasts and the top athletes of the national team do not differ in any way in practice. Differences arise in use.

– An athlete who makes a gun a tool for himself, modifies the gun to his liking, wooden parts for example. It will be just right for your hand and body.

Even at the hobbyist level, cross-country skiers usually have a personal weapon. Clubs have some shared weapons to get beginners up to speed.