Russia Wins International Tank Biathlon

By The Moscow Times

Aug. 17, 2014

A tank drives on the course of the Tank Biathlon world championship in Alabino outside Moscow. Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters

Russian tankers flattened their opponents at the annual World Tank Biathlon that ended Saturday in the Moscow region, taking first and second place.

Russia battled teams from Armenia, Kazakhstan and China in the final event, which concluded nearly two weeks of competition. The winners were personally congratulated by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, RIA Novosti reported.

The championship, organized by the Ministry of Defense, hosted 12 countries — none of whom are NATO members — that used tanks to emulate an athletic biathlon. Each tank had to finish a 20-kilometer course in the fastest possible time while shooting targets and navigating ridges and water-filled ditches.

The first international competition in the discipline took place in Russia last August.

The competitors used Russian T-72B tanks, except for the Chinese, who preferred to use their own Type-96A tanks, Russian media reported.

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