A few years ago no one knew about such a concept as “tank biathlon”, and today it is officially included in the list of military-applied sports and annually collects dozens of teams from different countries at competitions. Regardless of where the tank biathlon takes place, it is always spectacular and exciting, because the audience has the opportunity to see military vehicles in action.
The purpose of these competitions is to strengthen the military community and military cooperation of different countries. These competitions have been held as part of the International Army Games since 2015.
A bit of history
Many people are interested in knowing who invented the tank biathlon, because the Ministry of Defense of Russia is the annual organizer of the competition. So, according to official data, the first mention of this concept occurred at a board meeting in May 2013 from Army General Arkady Bakhin.
It was he who explained to colleagues all the nuances of future games and plans for the participation of crews from neighboring states in them. So who invented the tank biathlon? Already after this event, it was announced that the idea of the competitions themselves belonged to the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu.
Competition Rules
Where the tank biathlon takes place depends on its stage. In spring or summer, on the basis of military districts, internal competitions are held in which the best crews are selected to participate in international games. Tank biathlon is an annual competition of crews from different countries on the basis of Russian training grounds.
No matter where the tank biathlon takes place in Russia, and what its stage is, the rules are always the same. They were borrowed from a regular sports biathlon and represent 3 stages of games.
First of all, all participants compete in an individual race. 12 teams selected from the total number following the results of the first stage go to the next competition - relay race. The top two teams enter the final battle, which is also represented by the relay.
First stage rules
3 crews from each team enter the fight for first place. Everyone has a separate start, so that at the same time there are no more than 4 combat vehicles at the training ground. The race is carried out in a circle, each 3-5 km long and always with obstacles in the form of barrows, ravines, ford, anti-tank ditches and so on.
Each circle is necessarily accompanied by the need to hit targets:
- 1 circle - firing from a cannon at an "enemy tank";
- 2 circle - firing from an anti-aircraft machine gun at an air target;
- 3 circle - firing from a coaxial machine gun on "RPG".
The shooting of the last lap was given entertainment last year, when targets began to be made of glass. And then, where the tank biathlon takes place, the address is known only on the official website of the department, since it can change.
In case of a miss of the crew on the target or unsuccessful maneuvers, they are awarded penalty circles or points. This year, the points were replaced by “Inspection of the machine” where the crew must stand a certain amount of time. The best teams of this stage are determined by the time of the race and go to the semifinals.
Competition End
Where the tank biathlon takes place does not depend on the stages of one competition. The semifinal relay race is always held at the same training ground as the first race. This stage is a similar passage of the track with obstacles and defeat targets on combat vehicles, but already crews in the relay race.
Each team consists of 3 tanks. In total they need to go 4 laps. Obstacles are similar, only the anti-tank gun target has been added. The start for all teams is simultaneous, and shooting is carried out in turn by the draw method. For misses and violation of equipment fines are also charged. The overall results of the stage are determined by 4 finalist teams.
The international tank biathlon ends with the final relay race among the best crews.
The beginning of the story
Almost everyone knows where the tank biathlon is taking place, but when the war games were just beginning, no one could imagine that their popularity in our country would exceed even the audience of football fans. For the first time, international competitions were held at the Alabino training ground. The championship was timed to the anniversary of the tank battle near Prokhorovka. 4 teams from neighboring countries took part, the winner was the host country of the games - Russia.
The following year, competitions in the military-applied sport were first held between the Russian crews, and the best of them took part in international games. Already 12 teams took part. A tank biathlon was held in Moscow, where the training ground of the second guards motorized rifle Taman Division is based. Pre-training guests of the competition was allowed at another training ground.
In 2015, 13 teams took part in the competition. According to tradition, the crew from Russia became the winner.
Expanding borders
In 2016, tank biathlon gained new participants in the face of such exotic countries as Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Angola, Nicaragua and so on. In total, representatives from 17 countries took part in the games. The winner was also the representatives of Russia. China took second place, and Kazakhstan third. In addition, the most harmonious crew was noted at the competitions and all its members in a separate nomination were awarded with cars.
2017 competitions
By tradition, the competition was held at a training ground in Alabino. Representatives of 19 states have already become participants (Laos and Uganda have joined). Some teams arrived at the games with their military vehicles, the rest was provided by domestic tanks. The victory was also won by our compatriots. Representatives of Kazakhstan took the second place, and China - the third.
Among the finalists were tankers from Belarus.
Where will the tank biathlon be held next year?
The program of the future tournament will not differ from the current one. The organizers plan only to increase the number of participating countries, because their number is growing markedly with each competition, attracting more and more spectators to the games.
Where will the tank biathlon 2018 take place? Next year's competitions are planned to be traditionally held on the territory of the Alabino military training ground in July-August 2018. Preliminarily, the best crews will be selected to represent our country at international games.
The stages of the competition will also include an individual race for absolutely all participants and two stages of the relay for the best crews selected according to the results of previous rounds.
Competition Features
To make it easier for spectators, and for the race participants themselves, to recognize the technique of the teams, initially the tanks were painted in the bright colors of their teams. In the second year of the competition, such a requirement was replaced and combat vehicles were marked with camouflage with bright pennants. Whether this condition will change next year is not yet known.
According to the rules of the competition, rewarding of game participants takes place in several stages. First, championship medals are awarded to the crew members of the individual competition winners. The first place crew is awarded in addition to the winner’s cup. According to the relay results, tank crews win already in the team events and are awarded only with medals. Particularly distinguished crews can receive additional rewards in the form of cars.
The main condition for the competition for all is that women are not allowed to take part in these competitions, even if trained tank crews are available in the host countries of the games. The whole point is in Russian law, which prohibits female soldiers from lifting loads of more than 15 kg. At the same time, a tank shell can weigh up to 50 kg.
Similar competitions
Where tank biathlon takes place in the modern world is understandable, but few know that these are not the first such international competitions. For the first time, combat training games of tank crews were held at the base of NATO units in Germany. These competitions were first annual, then began to be held through the season, but were relevant from 1963 to 1991. They were attended by military representatives of NATO countries. Games stopped as soon as Canadian troops were withdrawn from Europe.
Starting in 2012, similar tank competitions were held three times for the US and Canadian troops for the Sullivan Cup. In addition to the art of owning a combat vehicle, competitions included strength tests for crew members.
Last year, for the first time, competitions were held for the tank crews of NATO troops and their friendly countries. The competition was held in Germany at the base of the US Army training center. Already in 2017, a team from Ukraine took part in these competitions. Among the six participants, the Ukrainian crew took fifth place.
Finally
Regardless of whether it will be possible for the audience to watch the tank biathlon competitions live or on TV, this sport leaves an unforgettable impression. The scope and entertainment of the project is winning the hearts of an increasing number of viewers, instilling interest in military service among young people. Tank biathlon in Russia is gaining momentum every year and, quite possibly, will soon become a prestigious competition for the military of different countries around the world.