The World Cup in Qatar helped me become a huge winter sports fan. Alpinists on skis are wacky creatures, the robes of the German riders have international flair, a mixture of snow cat and tiger, which somehow suits this fast ride. But one mixture surpasses that of the skiers: those who have specialized in cross-country skiing and precision shots.
At first I was more than irritated. A sport is propagated, celebrated and filmed, which is about running fast and shooting with a gun just as fast, but as precisely as possible. It is safe to assume that anyone with access to a gun, i.e. able to point a gun at someone, poses a potential threat. To this day I am of the opinion that some things should not be learned at all for safety reasons. Although one could argue that what matters is who is learning and with what motivation.
Biathlon is almost unknown in Uganda and probably most of Africa. When I first saw a biathlon race on German television, I found it both strange and fascinating. It’s like dumping a heap of sugar on your cornflakes – making something good yet tastier – with the risk of indigestibility.
I’ve watched the races over and over again and I still wonder what this art can bring to life when it’s not just about winning medals and other benefits. Why the combination of cross-country skiing and shooting?
An interesting side effect of people aiming for small circles is people having large drinks at the trackside. The warming effect is often mentioned as a motive, but there may be other reasons. Rumor has it that you can increase your performance with alcohol. A fan once said that it’s better to play beer pong with a beer or two. The influence of alcohol lowers the heart rate and creates a calmer hand when throwing. The ball lands more often in the round – like in a good or, in this case, rather well-doped biathlete.
You can also look at this sport with more seriousness. Last but not least, it is about learning how to use a weapon in stressful situations. As always with weapons, this ability can have fatal consequences. Because the better the shooter, the worse the outcome can be. Except when a biathlete pursues his sport. This creates cheering people at the edge of the track.
I tried to understand this sport in front of my TV screen and watched intensely. I was finally able to hear the athletes’ hearts bursting out of their chests as they attempted to hit their targets. As they cross the finish line, athletes fall into the snow – saliva dripping from their faces, showing just how tough and admirable this sport is. It reminds me of the local track and field athletes I saw at varsity in Uganda while training with my rugby team.
Rugby is also a tough sport. Biathlon, however, now attracts me in a particularly fascinating way. This combination of cross-country skiing and raising the guns – and nobody gets hurt, at least not from a gun. Did someone say football?
Their escape led two journalists to Munich. In a weekly column, they write about the peculiarities of their new homeland that they have adopted. The column “Typisch Deutsch” always appears on Friday or Saturday on the SZ people page. You can find the collected texts here.