Gamers at the Games - how Norway's Dale-Skjevdal relaxes by playing online

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 9 - Norway's Johannes Dale-Skjevdal loves nothing more after a hard day's training or competition than to swap his biathlon rifle for a virtual version, spending his evenings blasting away in an online video game with his Olympic rivals.

The 28-year-old Norwegian sharpshooter is likely to go head-to-head with his French rivals in Tuesday's men's 20km individual race, but so far at the Milano Cortina Games they have been whiling away their evenings by teaming up and playing a popular war-based game online.

"Yesterday, I played. I played 'Battlefield' with the French guys, and tonight I have a deal with another guy to play, so we are having a good time in the hotel," Dale-Skjevdal said with a broad smile when asked about his hobby.

"(The French and I) were actually a team, so it's great fun to link up on the PlayStation and to get your mind on something else."

A regular user of streaming platform Twitch, where gamers broadcast themselves playing, Dale-Skjevdal revealed that Eric Perrot, who won gold with France in the opening mixed relay race on Sunday, was also keen to get involved in the gaming.

"It's great fun. Actually, it feels like a summer camp, we're just having so much fun. It's very fun to get your mind on something else, and then also to link up with the other nations," the Norwegian said, adding that they were unlikely to stream their exploits during the Games.

His compatriot, men's cross-country Olympic champ Johannes Klaebo, is another keen "Battlefield" player, but he prefers to keep his skiing and his gaming separate.

“I need the nerves to perform at my highest level. In the evenings I try to play a little with my friends back home, and try to talk about different things than skiing," Klaebo told a press conference after winning his skiathlon gold medal on Sunday.

"I like to do that, and I will celebrate with some evening games today."

Though plenty of athletes use video games to chill out, it does not always have the relaxing effect that they seek. Czech curler Vit Chabicovsky, 21, told Reuters that playing his favourite video game often left him frustrated.

"I always play like 20 minutes of 'Geometry Dash' when I can, before I rage-quit," he told Reuters, referring to a physics-based platform game. "I rage-quit before I break something, so that's good!" REUTERS