Learning from Olympic Biathalon

[Bob LeDoux]

I just finished watching this Olympic skiing/shooting event. For me, it was the most exciting Olympic event I've seen over the past two weeks. Remarkable was the display of shooting scores and the impact of penalty laps.

I could image regular shooting events with a similar amount of excitement. It would require computer aided scoring displays so viewers could watch, in real time, as the top scorers ebb and floe relative to the impact of individual shots.

The final 10 shot shoot-off could generate real excitement. Top events are sometimes won by tenths of a point. Good displays and commentary could make that high drama.

Because different shooters fire at different rates, the computer software would need to calculate potential and estimated total scores, for each shooter, based on shots already taken. With such mechanisms drama could be developed once about half the shots are fired in a competition.

Could such techniques turn shooting into an exciting TV spectator sport?

It appears it could be done without altering the shooting style of individual competitors.

More intrusive would be to change events so each shot had to be taken within a short time window. Competitors could be easily compared in real time. But competitors would have little opportunity to take a break to review or correct technique in the midst of a shooting competition.

[Spencer]

all this already in place covering both Qualification and Finals rounds for ISSF World Cups - getting the TV coverage is something else.

[dam8]

only after midnight (est) did i finally get to see a Biatholon race! It was great! I'm so glad I decided to stay up tonight.
POOR COVERAGE! NO INTRO, NO PROMPTING AS TO WHEN IT WILL BE ON ! If the Biathalon could only get half the publibity of figure skating! what a wonderful thing that would be.

[David Levene]

The big problem with the Biathlon is that it makes us normal mortals feel even more unfit than usual.