This is how the biathletes want to master the Corona season

In the run-up to the World Cup opening in Östersund, Sweden, we answer the questions that are on the minds of biathlon fans worldwide.

What does the World Cup winter look like for biathletes?

After stations in Sweden, France and Ruhpolding were canceled last year due to corona due to travel reduction, as was the Olympic test in Beijing, things are back to normal this season with nine World Cup stations, including Antholz, traditionally in mid-January. The Estonian Otepää is new. The highlight is the Olympic races in China from February 5th to 19th.

What's in it for the local athletes? The big driving force in Italy's biathlon selection is still Dorothea Wierer. After missing out on the top three in the overall World Cup last year, she wants to stand up to the Scandinavians at the front again. But her focus is on her last Olympic Games, where she finally wants to win the gold she longs for. Among men, Lukas Hofer is the shining light. He will try to become one of the permanent contenders for victory. It will also be exciting to see how the talented Rebecca Passler will perform in her first World Cup season ( here go to the overview of the Italian squad).

Who are the favorites?

The favorites are again Tiril Eckhoff, the overall World Cup winner from the previous season, and Marte Olsbu Röiseland from Norway. For the men, their compatriot Johannes Thingnes Bö is hunting for his fourth large crystal ball in a row. Let's see if his teammate Sturla Holm Lægreid gives him as big a fight as he did last time. The French are also likely to be at the forefront again. The top will be very close together again this winter.

Johannes Thingnes Bö goes into the winter as a ball defender and big favorite. © APA/afp / ANDERS WIKLUND

Are fans there again after the ghost races of the previous season? At the start of the season this Saturday in Östersund, Sweden, 3000 spectators are expected per day, and up to 5000 at the weekend. There are no restrictions for fans such as 2G or 3G for outdoor events in Sweden, nor are there any spectator limits; the arena there holds around 10.000 people. But the second World Cup in Hochfilzen has to take place again without fans because of the lockdown in Austria. In France, 3G applies to the final races of this year - which also includes the acceptance of antigen tests for spectators in the country. In January at the World Cup in Ruhpolding, 2G applies to fans and the tickets must be personalized, which also applies to the 3G regulation that is currently still in effect in Antholz. As a precaution, the start of individual ticket sales was postponed to December 15th. In Oberhof, however, no spectators are allowed. But everything can change depending on how the pandemic develops.

The final preparations are underway in Östersund.

What rules are there for biathletes? The normal hygiene rules such as keeping your distance, washing your hands, etc. continue to apply. As in the previous year, shaking hands is not permitted at the award ceremonies; press conferences will once again only take place separately from the journalists. Masks no longer have to be worn outside; they remain mandatory inside. The deleted results go back to normal mode to two, instead of four as in the first Corona season. “One thing is very clear: the teams and athletes are responsible for how well or poorly they get through the season through their behavior,” said IBU sports director Felix Bitterling.

How is the world association proceeding in the second Corona winter? The IBU assumes a vaccination rate of 80 percent, possibly more. Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered have slightly more freedom than those who have not been vaccinated. The IBU has an online registration platform on which each association must provide information about whether the athlete is vaccinated or unvaccinated and with which vaccine. The associated documents must be uploaded. If this is not the case, the person at the venue will not come to the stadium. There is also an IBU scanning app for the World Cups, where the respective status is scanned more or less every day. This primarily affects those who need to be tested. If there is no current PCR test, the person concerned will not be allowed in. Due to the vaccinations now possible, the IBU no longer has its own testing laboratory, but it does provide PCR testing options for participants in cooperation with the organizers.

Does the association pay the organizers? After the ghost races in the previous season, the additional expenses such as compensation payments to the IBU event organizers and for the mobile IBU PCR test laboratory amounted to almost five million euros. In principle, the world association has defined its support plan for the organizers until 2026. Due to the improved marketing and television contracts from 2022, the current planning includes a “decent increase in support payments”. If ghost races are threatened again, a decision will be made after the season about a subsequent subsidy for the organizers concerned, said IBU sports director Felix Bitterling.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

This is how the biathletes want to master the Corona season

Corona and no end. There are still strict hygiene rules, and biathlon fans are not there again as hoped. Then there will be the Olympics in Beijing in February 2022, complete with an as yet unknown facility. Nevertheless, the ski hunters are looking forward to the start of the season on Saturday.

Suggestions

Comments (0)