The regional stage of the republican competitions among children and adolescents in biathlon "Snow Sniper" for the prizes of the President's Sports Club started on Friday, February 12 in "Raubichi".

The Friday program of the competition includes sprint races, and on Sunday, February 14, mixed relay races will take place. Taking into account the cancellation of last year's races due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers decided to increase the number of participants, including the starts of shooting skiers born in 2004 in the tournament program, the press service of the organization said.

196 schoolchildren - amateurs of biathlon - passed the multistage selection from 32 thousand participants in regional competitions. They have been in Raubichi since the beginning of this week, actively preparing for the competition, during which the representatives of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation will test and select the most talented children for their favorite sport on a more serious level.

In recent years, interest in one of the most popular winter sports in Belarus has noticeably increased, especially in the regions, because the competitions are now held in a biathlon format. If earlier children fired separately at the shooting range and then skied around the stadium, now, thanks to the Presidential Sports Club, which has purchased and transferred target installations and modern air rifles to all regions of the country, it has become possible to equip a biathlon shooting range right on the ski slopes.

Recall that in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, the starts will be held without spectators and with all precautions, however, for biathlon fans, an online broadcast will be organized from the scene on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Sports Club and on the Belarus-5 air.