Biathlon is growing very fast in Sweden.
So much so that a shortage of weapons has arisen.
– This is a matter of priority for us, says union general secretary Ricard Gripp.
In just a few years, Sweden went from being a country in all-out crisis to biathlon to becoming one of the world’s most successful countries.
Many tournament medals were won and superstars such as Sebastian Samuelsson, sisters Hanna and Elvira Oberg became famous.
This has resulted in increased interest among young people and significant new employment.
But it also caused problems.
Very few weapons
The federation now confirms that there is a shortage of weapons in the sport.
There simply aren’t enough guns available.
The growth has been very strong lately, and we have to be humble and admit that we may not have been 100 per cent organized or ready to go through everything like this “big boom”, says union general secretary Richard Gripp.
– It is true that there are very few weapons at the moment, but the Council made strategic decisions that will facilitate and increase accessibility in the near future. There we have already done and sent orders at the central level.
300 air rifles wanted
In addition to the “real” biathlon rifles – called .22 long rifles – you can also use air rifles of a slightly lower level.
According to Rickard Gripp, the federation estimated that about 300 air rifles would need to be ordered over the next three to four years.
– And now we have already ordered 100 pieces.
The air rifle is too good to get into sports, but when you start getting up at 15 and up and getting young, the .22 is absolutely the best.
Are you starting to burn in knots now or do you feel familiar with the situation?
– Change is underway now after this summer and it’s a very positive feeling, but now that the interest is so much we would have liked this to have been in place, preferably yesterday already. It’s not a disaster, says Ricard Gripp, but it looks like we’re on the right track.