Report: Sanctions block German ammo to Belarussian biathlon team

Feb 15, 2012, 10:27 GMT

Moscow - A European Union ban on arms sales to Belarus has reportedly blocked deliveries of specialised rifle cartridges to the former Soviet republic's strong biathlon team, a government official said on Wednesday.

The German munitions manufacturer Lapua has 'for more than two months' been unable to obtain an export permit to deliver 75,000 rounds of personalised ammunition to the Belarusian team, Andrei Fomochkin, a ministry of sport spokesman, was quoted as saying by the state-run Belta news agency.

The ammunition was manufactured to the individual specifications of the personal rifle of each Belarusian competitor. The ministry of sport paid the equivalent of 44,700 dollars for the cartridges in December, Fomochkin said.

Other Belarusian orders for specialised ammunition totaling some 215,000 rounds likewise appear stalled because of German government unwillingness to issue the manufacturer export permits, he said.

'Why is this happening? Here we have a case of so-called double standards. That's the reality. We aren't loved very much, especially when we are serious competition. It's possible that the successes of Darya Domracheva has been a factor,' Fomochkin said.

Domracheva is the most successful biathlete from Belarus, with six World Cup race wins (three this season) plus two silvers and two bronze medals from world championships and Olympics.

Belarus has other sources of rifle cartridges and would continue to compete in international events, but an absence of individualised rifle ammunition could reduce shooter accuracy by between three and five per cent, Fomochkin said.

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