Athlete's Guide to Biathlon Canada 2027 Canada Games Youth Biathlon 2026-27

An athlete born after December 31, 2011 can only take part if Biathlon Canada approves an age dispensation. The Games biathlon competitions are designed for athletes who are 15 to 18 years old (Youth Men and Youth Women), and Biathlon Canada decides at its discretion whether the athlete is at the required level, expecting that they can compete at the level of the majority of the field or better.

The provincial or territorial sport organization must send Biathlon Canada a completed Request for Age Dispensation with:

• parent or guardian authorization (which confirms the athlete will compete in the Youth category against athletes aged 15 to 18);
• a positive recommendation and statement of ethics from the athlete's normal coach;
• divisional sanction, signed by the athlete's Biathlon Canada Division;
• objective evidence, in the form of published results, that the athlete has successfully competed in the Youth category in each of an Individual, a Sprint and a Pursuit competition.

Deadlines: the requirements and criteria must be achieved by January 24, 2027, and the completed request must be delivered to Biathlon Canada by January 25, 2027.

Source: 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, Appendix 3: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

Yes. All athletes must be licensed under the Firearms Act, with either a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) or a Minor's Licence.

• You must give evidence of your licence to the Biathlon Canada Technical Representative by January 28, 2027.
• Without a licence you will not be permitted to train or compete on the biathlon venue.
• Athletes who do not hold a PAL or Minor's Licence are excluded from the Canada Games biathlon competition altogether (eligibility rule 4.1).
• Registration of every participant in the Canada Games electronic registration system is due 30 days before the Opening Ceremony (January 28, 2027), and the final roster status must be set 14 days before it (February 13, 2027).

Source: 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, sections 4.1, 7.1 and Appendix 4: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

The RCMP Canadian Firearms Program sets these requirements for a Minor's Licence:

• You must be between 12 and 17 years old.
• You must complete the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and pass its tests.
• Your parent or guardian must first agree and consent to the conditions under which you may use firearms.
• A Firearms Officer may interview you, your parent or guardian, or both before issuing the licence.

What it allows: borrowing non-restricted firearms for approved purposes, including organized shooting competitions and target practice, and buying ammunition (unless provincial or territorial law sets an age restriction).

What it does not allow: acquiring firearms (including as a gift), bringing firearms into Canada, or possessing restricted or prohibited firearms.

The course: anyone 12 or older can take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. After in-class instruction you sit a written test and a practical test. To register, find a qualified instructor in your area.

At 18: you are no longer eligible for a Minor's Licence and must apply for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL). First-time applicants must pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course before applying.

Sources: RCMP, Minors: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing/minors ; RCMP, Safety courses: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/firearms-safety-training-transport-and-storage/safety-courses

The 2027 Canada Winter Games biathlon competitions are:

Relays: a single mixed relay and a mixed relay.

• Each province or territory has 4 men and 4 women, and all four Youth Men and all four Youth Women compete in each of the personal races (Mass Start 60, Sprint and Pursuit), held separately for each gender.
• A province or territory may enter one official team in the mixed relay and up to two official teams in the single mixed relay. All athletes must be on an official relay team before any athlete may be on more than one.
• The three best placings per province or territory in each individual event count for sport scoring points (90 points for 1st, 75 for 2nd, 65 for 3rd, and so on down to 40th place).
• Medals are awarded to athletes only: gold, silver and bronze for each event (12 of each).

Source: 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, sections 2, 5.2, 8 and 11: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

In the Youth (U19) sprint, pursuit, Mass Start 60 and relay races, the penalty for each target left standing after your rounds for the bout is a 150 m penalty loop. In the single mixed relay the penalty loop is 75 m.

• You must ski the loop once for every missed target, immediately after the shooting bout.
• You are responsible for skiing the right number of loops. You cannot complete missed loops after the next shooting bout or before crossing the finish line. If you realize you skipped a loop, you may return to the penalty loop without obstructing other athletes.
• If the organizers or a target malfunction cause you to ski the wrong number of loops, the Competition Jury decides on an appropriate time adjustment.
• The competitor on or exiting the penalty loop has the right of way over a competitor entering it.
• Relays: you have 3 spare rounds. After your first five rounds, any targets still standing must be hit with the spare rounds (hand-loaded one by one, not from a magazine) until all five are down or all eight rounds are fired. Targets still standing after that send you to the penalty loop.

Source: IBU Event and Competition Rules 2026, competition format table and articles 7.1.5 and 8.2.2: https://assets.ctfassets.net/cz0vl36hcq0x/7mkQn1kQTB7VzlUZHAcuec/c8897efcf14ccded0f82af3513c6e5ef/ECR_Rules_2026_cap03.pdf ; applied at the Games by the 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, section 5.1: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

Under the IBU Event and Competition Rules (version 2026), which apply at the 2027 Canada Winter Games, you fire 5 rounds per shooting bout at five targets. In relays you also have 3 spare rounds per bout.

For the Youth (U19) classes, the shooting sequences are:

Position rules

• Prone: the rifle may only be in contact with your hands, shoulder and cheek. The underside of the wrist of your supporting arm must be distinctly raised from the ground (snow surface).
• Standing: you must stand without any support. Only your hands, shoulder, cheek and the area of your chest next to your shoulder may touch the rifle. You may hold the supporting arm against your chest or prop it against your hip.

Sources: IBU Event and Competition Rules 2026, competition format table, 8.2.2 and 8.3: https://assets.ctfassets.net/cz0vl36hcq0x/7mkQn1kQTB7VzlUZHAcuec/c8897efcf14ccded0f82af3513c6e5ef/ECR_Rules_2026_cap03.pdf ; 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, section 5.1: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

The 2027 Canada Winter Games apply the IBU Event and Competition Rules (version 2026). Article 8.5 sets these safety rules:

• In and out of the stadium: a rifle must be in a case or cover bag when brought into or taken out of the stadium area, with a safety marker (coloured flag or lock) attached as a visible sign there is no cartridge in the chamber.
• Safety marker: it stays in every rifle, including reserve rifles, from entering the stadium until you reach the shooting range, where it may be removed for training or competing. You insert it again when leaving the range after training or zeroing, and at the finish as soon as possible (and in any case before leaving the finish exit area or returning to the rifle racks). For dry shooting it may be removed but must go back in straight after.
• Where you shoot: shooting is only permitted on the shooting range, during officially authorized times.
• Safe handling: rifle movements that might endanger others or yourself are forbidden, loaded or not. Carrying the rifle on your back, or having the bolt open, is considered safe.
• Muzzle direction: the muzzle must be over the forward edge of the shooting ramp (firing line) from the start to the end of the shooting bout. You may never deliberately point the muzzle at yourself or others while on the mat.
• Loading and unloading: after the start, you may only open the bolt or remove a magazine when stopped on the shooting mat, and only with the barrel pointing towards the targets or up. When moving from one lane to another, unload first and carry the rifle on your back in the harness.
• After shooting: rifles must be unloaded after each bout, with no round in the chamber or inserted magazine.
• Responsibility: you are responsible for the safety of your actions and your rifle at all times.

Source: IBU Event and Competition Rules 2026, article 8.5: https://assets.ctfassets.net/cz0vl36hcq0x/7mkQn1kQTB7VzlUZHAcuec/c8897efcf14ccded0f82af3513c6e5ef/ECR_Rules_2026_cap03.pdf

The Biathlon Rifle Policy (Appendix 4 of the 2027 Canada Winter Games technical package) says the Canadian Firearms Act must be followed, and sets these rules.

Travelling to and from the Games

• Rifles arrive and depart packed in locked hard-cases, unloaded, with the trigger or cable locked, and with ammunition in a separate container.
• Cases must be well marked with the athlete's name and team.
• The rifle must be accompanied at all times during transport to the storage area by an identified team representative or another licensed and designated escort, and stays under escort until it reaches the field of play and the designated guarded room.

During the Games

• Rifles are stored in a designated, locked secure room that normally has a guard or guarded area, with no window or adjoining room access. Rifles may be stored uncased with a trigger or cable lock. Each team's storage is designated and marked.
• Access is by accreditation, checked at the door. The room is open and monitored at times coordinated with the competition and practice schedule, and each team gets at least 15 minutes for dry firing practice.
• Athletes may move rifles to and from the venue on Games-supplied transport if they are unloaded, locked and covered. Rifles may be moved in bulk with a suitably federally licensed team member or other licensed and designated escort.
• Any rifle left unattended on or near the field of play, in the opinion of a Major Technical Official, will be impounded and the incident investigated by the Competition Jury, which may impose appropriate sanctions.
• Rifles must be in a soft cover or hard case when moved in or out of the stadium area, and may only be uncovered once inside the stadium.

Source: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

The 2027 Canada Winter Games apply IBU equipment rules for ski equipment and rifles (the IBU advertising rules do not apply; the Canada Games Council's apparel sponsorship policy covers advertising instead). Under the IBU Event and Competition Rules (version 2026):

Pre-start equipment inspection

• Your start number and thigh numbers are checked.
• The rifle is safety-checked: no cartridge in the chamber, and no magazine inserted or appearing to be inserted in the magazine well. Rifles may not carry full magazines or reserve bullets on the stock during the inspection.
• The weight, trigger resistance, dimensions and shape of the rifle, and the advertising on it, are checked. The serial number is recorded so the rifle can be verified at the finish.
• Skis and poles are checked, including for prohibited materials.

Two minutes before the start

• The rifle must carry the IBU control sticker. The starter's assistant opens the action to confirm there is no round in the chamber and no magazine inserted, and the safety marker goes in until the official removes it.
• You must have enough magazines to complete the competition. Magazines may be spot-checked to ensure they hold only five rounds that can be loaded directly from the magazine.

At the finish

• The rifle must contain no live ammunition. It must still carry its control sticker and have a trigger resistance of at least 0.5 kg (this may be a spot check). Ammunition is removed and the safety marker is inserted.

Sources: https://assets.ctfassets.net/cz0vl36hcq0x/7mkQn1kQTB7VzlUZHAcuec/c8897efcf14ccded0f82af3513c6e5ef/ECR_Rules_2026_cap03.pdf (articles 4.2.2 to 4.2.3); 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, section 13: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf

A universal wax protocol is in force for all competitions and all athletes at the 2027 Canada Winter Games.

• Skis must be clean when you submit them, before the published drop-off time.
• Biathlon Canada ski technicians prepare all skis for competition.
• You must submit one pair of skis to the identified Wax Room during the times in the waxing schedule. The technicians record your name and skis, make sure they are waxed, and have them available in the start pen as you go to the start.

IBU rules also list products for ski preparation that contain fluorocarbons (CF) among the products that are prohibited, and IBU equipment rules apply to skis at the Games.

Sources: 2027 Canada Winter Games Biathlon Technical Package, sections 5.4 and 13: https://biathlon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/36-2027-Technical-Package-Biathlon-PUBLISHED.pdf ; IBU Event and Competition Rules Annex A (2026): https://assets.ctfassets.net/cz0vl36hcq0x/2iDuPyE16smAkjo3DoobKs/fba5ec5c25b846c07b6e5e39b4295761/ECR_Annexes_2026_cap04.pdf

Yes. Biathlon Canada requires all athletes, coaches and officials, and everyone in Biathlon Bears or other entry-level club programs, to become registered participants of Biathlon Canada.

• The membership season runs from April 1 to March 31. The 2026-27 season runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
• Choose the membership category for your role. If you have several roles, select the one that costs the most, so your insurance covers your role.
• Do not register twice in a season: Biathlon Canada does not issue refunds for double registrations. Its membership look-up page lets you check whether you are already registered.
• A Tryout Licence is for people who are not Biathlon Canada members and want to join one-time activities such as promotional events, demonstration days and fun races. It is free, valid for one day only, and must be used on the day of the activity.

Source: Biathlon Canada, Individual and Club Registration: https://www.biathloncanada.ca/registration