Before the ban on Russian athletes, Alexander Loginov was one of the best in his country. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Olympia 2026: Russia hopes for Antholz return

The President of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU), Viktor Maigurov, stated in an interview on Russian television that he is working towards having the Russian national biathlon team compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and thus on the Antholz track.

19 October 2024

From: do

Maigurov announced that intensive efforts are underway to enable Russian athletes to participate in Antholz. However, he admitted that it is difficult to make precise predictions. "We are in contact with the international federation and hope that at least some of our athletes will be allowed to participate. In the best case, even the entire team could participate," said Maigurov. He pointed out that the situation could change at any time.

Maigurov stressed that despite the current ban on IBU competitions in the 2024/25 season, the preparation of Russian biathletes is fully focused on participating in the Olympic Games in Italy. "Our training plans and preparations are designed so that we can take part in international competitions at any time, especially the Olympic Games," he added.

Parallel competitions as preparation

The Russian competition calendar is also adapted to the international calendar. "Our internal competition schedule largely reflects the international calendar. Around 90% of our competitions take place parallel to World Cups or World Championships," Maigurov concluded.

The biathlon competitions at the 2026 Olympic Games will take place in Antholz.