Already in the 1950s, the beginnings of biathlon can be found here. Due to the quite timely development Zinnwald is also called the cradle of biathlon in Germany.
Since that time, the region has produced numerous World Cup winners, world champions, Olympic champions and successful coaches. Including names like: Dieter Sperr, Frank-Peter Roetsch, Rico Gross, Michael Rösch, Tina Bachmann and Klaus Siebert.
With the renovation of the shooting range and the entire start / finish area in 2004, the facility was adapted to the new requirements and regulations of biathlon sports. Thus, national and international events such as the German Cup or the IBU Cup (B World Cup) can be held in the arena at regular intervals.
With the German Biathlon Championships, which are traditionally held in summer, and the variants of the bike biathlon and summer biathlon, the biathlon has developed into a year-round sport.