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Cold weather cancels biathlon

On Friday, the Canada Winter Games cancelled its last biathlon event.It was too cold for the male and female pursuits.

On Friday, the Canada Winter Games cancelled its last biathlon event.

It was too cold for the male and female pursuits.

“The past days, the temperature has been within our limit,” said biathlon sport information officer Joanne Thomson on Friday.

The cutoff for biathlon is minus 20 Celsius.

However, after Monday’s biathlon event, a number of shivering athletes were ushered into the medical tent with hypothermic symptoms.

On Friday, the temperature was “a lot colder and the wind was really strong up there,” said Thomson.

A jury of coaches and officials decided to cancel the event.

“That event just doesn’t exist now,” said Canada Games Council sport director Andrew Gallant.

“So, obviously, there will be no medals presented in that event.

“What we’ll look at is the final standings in biathlon and compare it to the final standings in biathlon from the 2003 Canada Winter Games. Regardless whether it was the three events this year or the four last time, it’s still biathlon — who was strongest, who was second, who was third.”

Although Friday’s temperature was too cold for biathlon, freestyle skiing went ahead.

“Every sport has its own regulations on what its limits are for temperature and environmental effects,” said Thomson.