Biathlon Discussion | Qualification to Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 Road to Milano Cortina 2026

[ChandlerMne 1,202]

Wow, Russian biathlon team was hardcore. 

[heywoodu 15,997]

On 5/23/2025 at 6:49 PM, NearPup said:

 Evgeny Ustyugov has had all his results from January 2010 to the end of the 2013/14 season disqualified due to doping.

 

A few Olympic medals are expected to change hand as a result:

Vancouver 2010 Mass Start:

Gold: Martin Fourcade
Silver: Pavol Hurajt
Bronze:  Christoph Sumann

Vancouver 2010 men's relay:

Bronze:

 

This also confirms the previous disquaification of the Russian relay team from the Sochi Olympics.

 

https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/ustyugovs-olympic-results-disqualified/2p7jJvmw932nmrfuip2Cxl

 

Amazing that Martin Fourcade can't stop winning Olympic gold medals even in retirement xD

 

Crazy how long this case has been going on, but glad it has been resolved.

World champs silver for Lukas Hofer (in 2011)

 

[ChandlerMne 1,202]

On 5/14/2025 at 2:41 PM, Swewi said:

Hanna Öberg, Elvira Öberg, Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsilouma among the first selected Swedish olympians for 2026

Safe picks. 

[Grassmarket 4,027]

Just having a quick look round for Summer Biathlon this year, and it seems we're a bit short.  No World Championships & no FourcadeFest from France.  

 

August 6-9 Blink Festival Norway, usually on NRK

October 18-19 Stadium event from Munich on Biathlon World etc

 

Anything else?

 

 

[avlar 454]

12 hours ago, Grassmarket said:

Just having a quick look round for Summer Biathlon this year, and it seems we're a bit short.  No World Championships & no FourcadeFest from France.  

 

August 6-9 Blink Festival Norway, usually on NRK

October 18-19 Stadium event from Munich on Biathlon World etc

 

Anything else?

 

 

It looks like nobody wants to take risks before the Olympic season. I wonder about the entries at the ski jumping summer season.

[Grassmarket 4,027]

28 minutes ago, avlar said:

It looks like nobody wants to take risks before the Olympic season. I wonder about the entries at the ski jumping summer season.

I suppose so, but this is the first time I remember it happening. Usually there are squad selection races in most countries and always a Summer World Championship at least, even in an Olympic season.  

[heywoodu 15,997]

13 hours ago, Grassmarket said:

Just having a quick look round for Summer Biathlon this year, and it seems we're a bit short.  No World Championships & no FourcadeFest from France.  

 

August 6-9 Blink Festival Norway, usually on NRK

October 18-19 Stadium event from Munich on Biathlon World etc

 

Anything else?

 

 

Huh, summer worlds are cancelled?! That was absolutely scheduled for this year, 100% certain, I believe Bruna was even planning to go there for a sort of training camp in Otepää (hotel is literally inside the track, so it's perfect)...

 

Edit: cancelled last month to suddenly go to a 2-year schedule, that is some last-minute nonsense.

IBU cancels 2025 Summer Biathlon World Championships - ProXCskiing

Edited July 10 by heywoodu

[heywoodu 15,997]

8 minutes ago, Grassmarket said:

I suppose so, but this is the first time I remember it happening. Usually there are squad selection races in most countries and always a Summer World Championship at least, even in an Olympic season.  

Summer worlds have been cancelled because they decided to move away from the annual schedule to a biannual schedule. Seems rather odd that they decide it with immediate effect like this, like two months before Otepää was scheduled to host it, but there you go...

[Grassmarket 4,027]

2 hours ago, heywoodu said:

Summer worlds have been cancelled because they decided to move away from the annual schedule to a biannual schedule. Seems rather odd that they decide it with immediate effect like this, like two months before Otepää was scheduled to host it, but there you go...

There's another announcement on the home page that they are raising prize money for the Winter Races, so whether one is to do with the other..... 

 

Attendance at the Summer Worlds had always been very patchy, none of the big west European nations ever sent a proper team, although sometimes individuals went.  Slavic & Baltic nations generally were the backbone.  Again, maybe there has been some agreement on that. 

 

Stadium events are good for the profile of the sport, but only a small number of established names can take part.  There were lots of cases where athletes got their first win at the Summers and then went on to get more later that year.

Edited July 10 by Grassmarket

[heywoodu 15,997]

On 7/10/2025 at 1:16 PM, Grassmarket said:

There's another announcement on the home page that they are raising prize money for the Winter Races, so whether one is to do with the other..... 

 

Attendance at the Summer Worlds had always been very patchy, none of the big west European nations ever sent a proper team, although sometimes individuals went.  Slavic & Baltic nations generally were the backbone.  Again, maybe there has been some agreement on that. 

 

Stadium events are good for the profile of the sport, but only a small number of established names can take part.  There were lots of cases where athletes got their first win at the Summers and then went on to get more later that year.

Well, apart from being sad of suddenly not having the summer worlds this year (despite, like you said, certain nations giving it way more significance - albeit as a sort of nice training camp - than others), I at least like that it means Baiba Bendika remains world champion for a year longer  

 

Stadium events are very nice as exhibition things, so people in other parts can easily see some of their stars, but they should never become something official.