Australian Biathlon Association

Australian Biathlon Association
Sport Biathlon
Category Non-Profit Sporting Association
Jurisdiction Australia
Abbreviation ABA
Founded 1970s
Affiliation date International Biathlon Union
Regional affiliation Oceania
Headquarters Whiskey Flat, Mt Hotham VIC Australia
Location Whiskey Flat, Mt Hotham VIC Australia
President Grant Flanagan
Vice president(s) Ian Waller
Secretary John Mahon
Coach Luca Bormolini
Official website
www.biathlon.asn.au
Australia

Australian Biathlon Association is the organisation 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, the Australian Olympic Committee. It is based at the only biathlon range in Australia, at Mount Hotham, Victoria.

History[1]

The Australian Biathlon Association full name is Australian/Victorian Biathlon Association Inc. This reveals both the history and perpetual major funder of the sport of biathlon in Australia. Originally the North East Victoria Biathlon Association, the organising body for the sport of biathlon in Australia evolved to become the Victorian Biathlon Association, the Australian/Victorian Biathlon Association in the early 1980s, and is now known as the Australian Biathlon Association, or ABA.

The Australian Biathlon Association majority of members are still Victorian residents; however there are members who travel from Queensland, Western Australia and Darwin, 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 is undertaking the largest redevelopment of the range at Mount Hotham, to allow 15 lanes of participants at one time. It is planned for the 15 lanes to be ready for the Australian Winter season of biathlon by late June/early July 2017. After Winter 2017, the tracks will be sealed to allow rollerskiing during summer. Biathlon upgrade is also underway in 2017 at SSAA Range in Wodonga. Both of these projects are part of the Victorian Government Shooting Sports Facilities Program.

Structure

The Australian Biathlon Association (ABA) is a unitary model, with one member one vote, regardless of state/territory of residence. There are several branches including NSW Branch at Hornsby Rifle Range, East Gippsland Branch at Bairnsdale and Wodonga Region Branch. The largest organisation associated with the ABA is the Australian Defence Force Nordic Biathlon Association.

See also

In addition to its home site of www.biathlon.asn.au, and its NSW Branch page at https://www.biathlon-nsw.com/,the ABA is very active in social media: Twitter: @AUSBiathlon, Instagram: aus_biathlon, Facebook: Australian Biathlon Latest Australian Biathlon news is at www.australianbiathlon.com, with events at Team App: https://australianbiathlon.teamapp.com/

References

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