Silly athletes and their cool, painted guns

Biathlon athlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway and his painted gun

Today is funny winter sports photos and videos day! Following on the heels of “Horse Racing: You’re doing it wrong,” body-building stripper figure skating and the cute, frigid beaver is Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has painted up the eye shield of his gun with an eyeball to create the optical illusion that there is no eye shield at all! The tradition dates back over a thousand years in Norway to the time of the Vikings, who used to paint their rifles in a similar manner so it would look like they were awake even when they were passed out drunk.

(I can make fun of Vikings and cavemen without offending anyone, right? I think that even includes Brett Favre and Chris Carter, but I’ll have to check.)

Something tells me Ole Einar drives a vehicle with either spinning rims or an airbrushed hood or both. Wait, do they have vehicles in Norway? Can a sled have rims? I don’t even know how to poke fun at these people! Bring back the Summer Olympics!

Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Caption: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway competes in the men’s biathlon 10 km sprint final during the Biathlon Men’s 10 km Sprint on day 3 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Olympic Park Biathlon Stadium on February 14, 2010 in Whistler, Canada.

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