“Now the hot phase begins”: Antholz 100 days before the World Cup

Where there is still eerie silence today, along the asphalt track in the biathlon center and at the shooting range, the first World Cup medalists will be crowned in exactly 100 days. What still seems unimaginable to a neutral observer is omnipresent in Erika Pallhuber's world of thought. In her office with the best view of the surrounding cross-country ski trails, everything comes together when it comes to the World Championships next February. Pallhuber has been working in the biathlon center below Lake Antholz for 24 years and, as Secretary General, is the thinker and leader in the background. For them, the blanket of snow cannot fall quickly enough over the South Tyrol Arena, which is still deserted today. “That would mean that we would already have the majority of the preparations behind us,” explains the Pustertal native, who provides insights into her working world in the following interview.

The phone is already hot with Secretary General Erika Pallhuber. © os

How are the arrangements for the 2020 World Cup going? Erika Pallhuber: “We are fully on schedule. I would put it this way: The scaffolding is in place, now it's time to do the fine work. Now the hot phase begins, in which the daily inquiries and problems are addressed.”

“We have never had so many inquiries from Italy” Are you satisfied with the advance ticket sales? "Absolutely. There are now only remaining tickets in the stadium for the second World Cup weekend on February 22nd and 23rd. That's why I would like to make an appeal to South Tyroleans who, as experience shows, buy tickets at the last minute: Don't wait too long, there is still free choice. So far, around 15 percent of inquiries have come from Italy, never before. The successes of Wierer and Co. certainly play a big role here.”

“We want to sell 165.000 tickets” How many viewers do you expect? “We want to sell 165.000 tickets. This may sound huge, but there is no need to worry. It is the sum of all new competition days. We will not sell more day tickets than at the World Cup. In recent years we have reached our limits, which we must not exceed in order to be able to offer all visitors a smooth and unique biathlon experience.”

A picture from 2005, when there were no stands and it was mainly insiders who came to Antholz.

Let's take a look back: Not so long ago, the biathlon races only attracted a manageable number of onlookers to Antholz, but now there are more than 20.000 on certain days. How do you explain this hype?

“The 2007 World Cup was the turning point. It was our first real major event, which triggered a boom that continues to this day. When big names like Magdalena Neuner and Laura Dahlmeier announced the end of their careers, we always cringed and feared a decline in visitors. But it was not like that. We are now independent of dazzling stars on the trail. The spectators value Antholz as a holiday destination and because of all the trappings that the World Cup offers.”

What will Antholz remain from this mega event?

“In addition to the infrastructure in and around the biathlon center, these are certainly the international guests. They see Antholz on television, come to us the following year and in many cases remain as regular guests. Our stadium tours offer a great example: We introduced them once a week in 2007 for a handful of visitors, and we now welcome groups of up to 100 people twice a week – all year round.”

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“Now the hot phase begins”: Antholz 100 days before the World Cup

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