Five-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist BANNED after shooting gun in his HOTEL

OLYMPIC gold medallist Sturla Holm Laegreid has been BANNED from the Biathlon World Cup after firing a gun in the team hotel.

The 26-year-old has been disqualified from the upcoming competition after he broke International Biathlon Union safety regulations.

EPASturla Holm Laegreid has been banned from the Biathlon World Cup after accidentally letting his gun off in the team hotel[/caption]

Biathlon sees competitors take part in both cross country skiing and shooting.

And while preparing for today’s mass start event, Laegreid is said to have accidentally discharged his rifle in the team hotel in Switzerland instead of performing a safety check without live rounds.

The incident luckily resulted in no injuries to anyone present, but it didn’t stop the Norwegian facing disqualification.

The IBU have released a statement stating they will be working Swiss authorities to see if any further action will need to be taken.

It read: “The Biathlon Integrity Unit has been informed and will work with the Swiss authorities, who are investigating the case, to gather further information and to decide whether additional actions will be taken.”

While Laegreid himself has apologised for the incident, saying: “I am deeply sorry for this incident, and strongly apologise to the whole biathlon family, my teammates, and the hotel owner for what happened.

“This is a brutal reminder for me and for all biathlon athletes – how important safety routines truly are.”

The Norway national team are said to gave disclosed the accidental fire themselves and have co-operated with the IBU.

Laegreid will miss out on the opportunity to add to his impressive record in competitions due to his disqualification.

He has previously won five gold medals at the World Championships and was top of the podium for the Biathlon in the 2022 Winter Olympics.