Big change for fans and athletes

The final stop of the season comes in the biathlon. There are some changes in America that fans and athletes will have to get used to. The players are eagerly waiting.

Soldier Hollow – The Biathlon teams have arrived in North America. Two World Cups overseas are scheduled for the season finale. Races begin Friday in Soldier Hollow/USA, followed by the finale of this biathlon winter in Canmore/Canada.

Athletes must adapt. The previous biathlon season took place entirely on European soil. By Time difference in US, biorhythm needs to be adjusted. Soldier Hollow is located at an altitude of about 1,800 meters, which also takes its toll on the body.

Biathlon in America: Easy ride for athletes – big change for fans

In order for athletes to adapt as quickly as possible, the World Biathlon Federation IBU has provided a special service. “We gave teams a chance To travel directly from Oslo to USA by charter flight. Athletes, coaches and materials are replaced. Everyone has the same traveling conditions and can quickly adapt to local conditions,” IBU Communications Director Christian Winkler said in an interview with chiemgau24.de.

Changes are also coming to European biathlon fans. In Europe, races usually start in the afternoon or early afternoon. In In Soldier Hollow, times are pushed back. The first matches on Friday and Saturday start at 8:25pm CET, while the second matches start at 11:00pm.

Biathlon in America: “Like wax trucks in the old days”

Technicians also need to adaptWho prepared the material. To minimize logistical effort, the teams' wax trucks are based in Europe. Existing infrastructure is then used on site.

“This means you work the same way you used to have wax trucks and all the teams without trucks continue to do today. The Equipment is set up in wax booths and wax containers providedTo prepare for skiing. The teams have all their equipment with them, so apart from the environment being slightly different, there is no change in work processes,” explained Daniel Bohm, who works as the director of sports and events at the IBU.

Despite all the changes, expectations are high on the biathlon team. “We exchanged ideas with the athletes, They are really interested in foreign races. After the last trip to North America, some people asked us to postpone the matches until the end of the season. Some like to take the opportunity to add a vacation to Canmore in the area,” Winkler added.

Whether the races will continue in the US and Canada will be decided next year. “Bathlon is a major sport in America. Nevertheless, locations in North America are important to us. We are a global game and we want to continue to improve our game there as well. So far the project has always been us… World Cups are held in North America once per calendar cycle (which spans over four years).. The 2026-2030 calendar will be released next year,” Winkler said.

It is difficult to predict in advance what the mood will be on the site. But here too there may be an upward trend in the future. “That's one thing American sports live off of its heroes. There is currently no American among world leaders. It can happen with someone Campbell Wright, already in the spotlight this season, will soon change. This will attract more attention to the game. If we no longer take overseas locations into account, the growth potential will also be greatly reduced,” concluded the IBU Communications Director.

Source: chiemgau24.de

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