DUSHANBE, August 4, 2015, Asia-Plus — Three tank crews from Tajikistan are participating in an official Tank Biathlon World Championship that started at a firing range in Moscow oblast on August 1, an official source at the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan (MoD), told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Like an ordinary biathlon, the event features racing and shooting, but here the competitors are not athletes, but tank crews from around the world.
39 crews from 13 countries are taking part in the biathlon contest. The individual race will identify the three best tank crews and the eight teams that will participate in the semi-final relay race on August 13.
The Tank Biathlon competition is being held in four phases: individual races, 3-kilometer sprints, pursuit and relay races. The 7.2-kilometer-long track includes a high-speed section, firing ranges, and a variety of obstacles, such as passage through minefields, two uphill slopes, an anti-tank ditch, an obstacle and maneuvering course, mounds, two escarpments, fords, and a model of a track bridge.
The first official Tank Biathlon World Championship was held at the Alyabino Firing Range in Moscow oblast in August last year. The competition was attended by representatives of 12 different countries.
