ALISTER Allan has a history of successfully hitting the target against all the odds, but now he is facing possibly his toughest challenge yet.

The former Olympic and Commonwealth Games shooting medallist must lead Britain's unsung biathlon team into their first World Cup with the attendant pressure of having to raise much-needed funds to support the side.

The man who has won more Commonwealth medals for Scotland than any other competitor in any sport will accompany the side to Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Finland, America, Canada and Norway in the next three months, yet the gruelling schedule could be cut short if the ambitious team fail to secure a sponsorship deal.

The British Biathlon Union have spent the last two years, since splitting from the Great Britain Ski Federation, attempting to source funds, but their pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears, and the squad consequently struggle to compete with well-financed nations like Germany and Norway, where biathlon is a major sport and receives extensive media attention and commercial backing.

Freuchie-born Alister has just returned from sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic Circle and will soon rejoin the squad in Oberhauf, Germany.

He is racing against time to secure a cash boost and said: ''We have been trying desperately to qualify for grants from the Sports Council and the National Lottery.

''So far we have been unable to secure any substantial donations to guarantee the sport's future. Few people realise how expensive it has been to enter the Biathlon World Cup.

''Every squad member needs a minimum of 10 skis to meet the varying weather conditions, and competitors require a cache of ammunition which is costly.''

The devoted athletes have been forced to spend Christmas in Slovakia to save money, but it is this type of personal sacrifice and steely determination which Allan feels could lead them to victory if they can secure a financial injection.

In competition the team have to complete a 20 kilometre ski and must shoot in both prone and standing positions from 50 metres at a target.

Biathlon is the most challenging of Olympic disciplines, and a competitor uses 80 per cent of available energy during a race - twice as much as a professional footballer.

However, the team suffered a crushing early blow when Aviemore's Mike Dixon, who is the first British athlete to have competed in six Winter Olympics, ruled himself out with a neck injury on the eve of the World Cup.

He fell on ice, and the months of coaching of Britain's No.1 were erased in one unlucky split second.

Allan, an MBE, has spent little time at home recently, and he joked: ''Even the dog gives me a funny look now.''

Before globe-trotting with the biathlon team, he coached Scotland's Commonwealth Games shooting team in Kuala Lumpur.

The Fifer, whose principal honours, Commonwealth gold and Olympic silver, came in the small bore rifle event, added: ''All the biathlon guys are a pleasure to train. I have coached alongside athletes of all disciplines, including Linford Christie, but I have yet to come across more commited competitors than these men.''

The effort required in winning a bronze medal in the Los Angeles Olympics and silver in Seoul have helped prepare the Scot for his new role.

There was no National Lottery to assist when Allan was at the peak of his powers - world champion and world record holder - and he knows all about the financial strictures. He was so hard up that he was sometimes reduced to ''dry firing'' - practising without bullets, lying on his stomach, sighting on a target down the length of the hallway in his home.

''My goals have changed over the years,'' he admits. ''I was determined to do well for myself when I competed, but now I want others to win medals.

''I am really keen to pass on my experience to other British athletes, and it would be satisfying to watch some of them match my achievements. Some of the initial problems were unbelievable. The wax on the head of the bullets freezes in seconds, and then the ammunition does not fit in the chamber.

''But the main difficulty is the sport itself because I coach athletes who ski over undulating terrain before entering a shooting range with a pulse rate of 170 beats a minute, and they have 30 seconds to drop their ski poles, load and hit five targets.

''For that, athletes need the mental dexterity to cope with the intricacies of shooting in wind and snow at small metal targets before a noisy and usually very partisan crowd, and the stamina to ski at a fast pace in freezing temperatures.

''The sport receives extensive coverage by the international media on the Continent and 49 countries currently compete.

''Britain have competed in the sport at international level since the late 1950s, and their most successful seasons were in the early 80s with relay results consistently in the top 10 in the world and individual places regularly in the top 20.

''During the 70s, Britain regularly beat what was then West Germany, but they have restructured their selection, coaching and training system, and have built three training facilities.

''This has prompted remarkable success at international level and we want to emulate that - but we need the money to do it.''

Allan knows it's an uphill struggle, but this is one man who is not easily beaten.