About Para Biathlon

Para Biathlon was introduced in Innsbruck in 1988 for athletes with a physical impairment, and in 1992, athletes with a vision impairment also became eligible to compete.

The events include sprint, middle distance, pursuit and individual competitions and take place on a 2.0 or 2.5 km course skied three or five times in the free technique for a total race distance between 7.5-12.5 km. Between the skiing stages, athletes must stop in the shooting range and must hit five targets located at a distance of 10m. For each missed target either a 1-minute time penalty (individual competition) or a penalty loop that has to be skied immediately after leaving the shooting range applies. The winner is determined by the athlete who completes the competition with the fastest overall time. The most crucial success factor lies in alternating the skills of physical endurance and shooting accuracy during the competition. Athletes with vision impairment are assisted by acoustic signals, which depending on signal intensity, indicate when the athlete is on target.

The Para Biathlon range is divided into two parts with air rifle targets installed in one half and electronic targets in the other half. The number of targets installed depends on the level of competition. Athletes with a physical impairment (LW) shoot pellets at mechanical targets using an air rifle. Athletes with vision impairment (VI) shoot at an electronic target using an electronic rifle with an infrared camera and aim by listening to acoustic signals through a headset. Signal intensity indicates when the athlete is on target.

Para biathletes do not carry their rifles during the skiing stage but receive them in the biathlon range. Athletes with a physical impairment use personal rifles that are brought to the shooting mat by coaches when the athlete arrives at the range. Athletes with vision impairment use standardised rifles that remain at the shooting mat and are the same for all athletes. Athletes shoot in the prone position; however, some sit skiers may shoot in the sitting position if they are unable to shoot prone due to their impairment.

Para Biathlon was managed jointly by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) through a joint Steering Committee following the transfer of governance of Para Snow Sports from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in July 2022.

Since 2024 Para Biathlon is fully governed by the IBU.

Para Biathlon Working Group

The Para Biathlon Working Group was established in May 2023.

Anais BESCOND

FRA

Profile

Anaïs Bescond is a former French biathlete, an Olympic champion, three-time Olympic medalist and world champion, who won a total of nine IBU Biathlon World Championships medals. Growing up in the French Jura, she found skiing in early age and became a biathlete at age 15. She won her first international gold medal at the Youth World Championships in 2005. After debuting in the IBU World Cup in 2007, she retired after 15 years following the 2021/2022 season. She began coaching the French Para Nordic Skiing team from the season 2022/2023. She joined the French Army as an athlete in 2007 and still serves there as a sergent, as a coach and for several other missions.

Andrii Nesterenko

UKR

Profile

Andrii Nesterenko currently holds the position of the Ukraine Para Nordic and Para Biathlon team head coach. As a coach, he has led the team to success in the last three Paralympic Games (2014, 2018 and 2022). His vast experience and knowledge as a former coach of the Ukraine national cross-country team, associate professor of the Kharkov state academy of physical culture, member of various FIS Sub-Committees since 2006, including the Para Nordic Sub-Committee, FIS TD, and Chairman of the Ukrainian Cross Country Referees Committee allows him to effectively develop Paralympic Biathlon in Ukraine. His main goal is to further develop Para Biathlon as an indispensable structure of the IBU, help and support developing countries, and add new knowledge into the training process.

Hanfang Xue

CHN

Profile

XUE Hanfang currently serves as the team leader of the China Para Nordic Ski and Para Biathlon Team, a position she has held since 2015. Also serving as a member of the FIS Sub-Committee Working Group, she is deeply committed to the development of Para Nordic Skiing and Para Biathlon, particularly in China. With strong organizational, management, and communication skills, she has successfully led the Chinese Para Nordic Skiing Team to significant progress and outstanding results in international competitions. She is dedicated to contributing her expertise to the further advancement of Para Nordic snow sports, aiming to foster high-quality growth both across Asia and all over the world.

VICE CHAIR

Jayne Nethercott

GBR

Profile

Jayne is a current board member of the British Biathlon Union, proudly serving as Paralympic Director and holding national accountability for Para Biathlon. Jayne’s journey into Biathlon began in 2016, when she was introduced to the sport and was part of the team who established a Para Nordic programme for Great Britain. As Director of Sport for the 2016 Orlando Invictus Games, and later as Chef de Mission for Team UK at the Toronto 2017 and Sydney 2018 Games, Jayne played a pivotal role in championing adaptive sport and athlete development. Following these achievements, she became Head of Paralympic Programmes at GB Snowsport, where she guided the Para Alpine, Para Snowboard and Para Nordic teams through the Beijing Paralympic cycle—culminating in some of the strongest performances in British snowsport history. With deep experience in athlete development, high-performance leadership, and inclusive sport strategy, Jayne continues to shape the future of Para Biathlon in Great Britain and beyond.

CHAIR

John JAQUES

CAN

Profile

John Jaques has recently retired as Biathlon Coach for Para Nordic Canada. Prior to this John served 35 years as an able-bodied coach for both Cross Country and Biathlon. He has coached numerous Canadian athletes in both disciplines to Senior and Junior World Championships. For the last four years John was a member, and most recently the chair, of the Biathlon Working Group prior to its transition to the FIS/IBU governance. His retirement plans include but is not limited to – travel that doesn’t have a wax room involved, more farming and enjoying the outdoors hiking, skiing and biking.

Leandro Ribela

BRA

Profile

Leandro Ribela is a two-time Olympian in Cross-Country Skiing, having represented Brazil at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Since retiring from competition, he has served as coordinator of the Cross-Country and Biathlon programs at the Brazilian Snow Sports Federation. Leandro played a key role in building the Para Nordic program in Brazil from ground up, leading the team to World Championship medals and a World No. 1 ranking in the men’s sitting category. He has led the Brazilian Para Nordic Team at the last three Paralympic Winter Games, as well as the Olympic team in 2018. He is a FIS Technical Delegate and a Biathlon International Referee and has also contributed to the sport’s global development through his work in several FIS Sub-Committees, including Development, Roller Skiing, Para Nordic and several Working Groups.

Ex Officio as Chair of the Para Biathlon Athlete Representatives

Mark ARENDZ

CAN

Profile

Mark Arendz took a liking to sports at a very young age; he began skiing in the backyard when he was five. Mark had a farm accident at age seven where he lost his left arm. While the accident was initially a major shock, it did not deter him from pursuing his love of sport and competition. He has since competed at four Paralympic Winter Games, starting with Vancouver 2010. He earned a silver and a bronze medal in Biathlon at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. At PyeongChang 2018, Mark set a Canadian record of six medals in a single Winter Games, earning a medal for each of the six competitions he started, and also serving as Team Canada's Flag Bearer at the Closing Ceremony. At the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, he earned four additional medals: A gold, silver, and bronze medal in Biathlon and a bronze medal in the Cross-Country relay. His focus has now shifted towards competing at the Paralympic Winter Games 2026 in Milano/Cortina, Italy.

Ralf ROMBACH

GER

Profile

Ralf has been a successful head coach of the German Para Biathlon and Para Cross-Country Skiing Team since 2011. Following his engagement as a guide of visually impaired athletes at three Paralympic Winter Games between 1994 and 2002, his worked as a coach in Cross-Country Skiing and Nordic Combined in the German Ski Association between 2002-2011. Thanks to his sport-scientific and medical background as a physiotherapist, Ralf is one of the most experienced coaches on an international level in Paralympic winter sports. He serves as Chair of the Coaches Advisory Group and in this function as member of the FIS Sub-Committee Para Nordic. Rombach lives in Freiburg/Black Forest near the biathlon center of Notschrei, where the majority of the German Para- Biathlon team trains.

TC Liaison

Ulrika ÖBERG

SWE

Profile

Ulrika Öberg serves as National Sport Director at the Swedish Biathlon Federation where she is responsible for recruitment, education, competition and venues. In addition, Öberg is the chief of competition at the IBU World Cup and World Championships level, having served in that role in Östersund since 2013. She is member of IBU Technical Delegate group since 2016 and a member IBU Technical Committee since 2022. During the Para Nordic Skiing World Championships in Östersund 2023, she was an observer to learn about the Para sport.

IBU Para Biathlon contact is Tomi-Pekka Riihivuori.