RobtheAggie

Some updates on Blink and Wiesbaden: As of right now, Blink will be Norwegian only, but that may change depending on Governmental restrictions being lifted. Wiesbaden - Johannes and Tarjei Boe, Erik Lesser, Roman Rees, Lukas Hofer, Jakov Fak, Said Khalili and a French biathlete - announced in the next week. There will also ne 9 females, none have been announced yet.

Interesting interview with Tarjei Bø. He said he wants to be able to watch his brother for a few years from the sideline. Looks like post WC in Nova Mesto 2024 for his retirement. Also he said that the Norwegian Olympic team will most likely skip the last race weekend prior to the Olympics. That will be Antholz.

The RBU announced that the following males will not be at the Summer Biathlon World Champs: Eduard Latypov, Matvey Eliseev, Anton Babikov, Mikhail Pervushin, Nikita Porshnev, Daniil Serokhvostov, Kirill Streltsov and Karim Khalili.

Here is a schedule of major events prior to the start of the season: July Saturday 24: Victorian Championships - Day 1 - On Snow - Cancelled - Covid Saturday 25: Victorian Championships - Day 2 - On Snow - Cancelled - Covid August Friday 6: Blink Festival, Sandes - Results Here Saturday 7: Blink Festival, Sandnes Saturday 7: US Summer Championships - Jerico, VT Sunday 8: US Summer Championships - Jerico, VT Saturday 14 Australian Championships - Day 1 - On Snow Sunday 15 Australian Championships - Day 2 - On Snow Sunday 15: City Biathlon, Wiesbaden Friday 19: Swedish Summer Championships, Sollefteå Saturday 20: Summer Swedish Championships, Sollefteå Sunday 21: Summer Swedish Championships, Sollefteå Thursday 26: Summer World Championships, Nove Mesto Friday 27: Summer World Championships, Nove Mesto Friday 27, New Zealand Biathlon Championships, Snow Farm, New Zealand - On Snow Saturday 28: Summer World Championships, Nove Mesto Sunday 29: Summer World Championships, Nove Mesto September Saturday 4: Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival, Annecy Saturday 4: Austrian Summer Championships, Hochfilzen: Sunday 5: Austrian Summer Championships, Hochfilzen Friday 10: Italian Summer Championships, Anterselva Friday 10: German Summer Championships, Arber Friday 10: Swiss Nordic Weekend, Andermatt Saturday 11: Italian Summer Championships, Anterselva Saturday 11: German Summer Championships, Arber Saturday 11: Swiss Nordic Weekend, Andermatt Sunday 12: German Championships, Arber Sunday 12: Swiss Nordic Weekend, Andermatt Saturday 18: Norwegian Summer Championships, Lillehammer Saturday 18: French Summer Championships / Samse, Les Plans d'Hotonnes Sunday 19: Norwegian Summer Championships, Lillehammer Sunday 19: Biathlon Samse Tour, Les Plans d'Hotonnes October Saturday 16: French Summer Championships / Samse, Arçon Sunday 17: French Summer Championships / Samse, Arçon November Saturday 13: Sesongstart Skiskyting, Sjusjoen - On Snow Saturday 13: Sverigepremiär, Idre - On Snow Sunday 14: Sesongstart Skiskyting, Sjusjoen - On Snow Sunday 14: Sverigepremiär, Idre - On Snow

If you are up for a little academic reading, a recently published article about how no crowds affected men and women in biathlon. You can just read the abstract, but the men shot better but skied slower. The women were the opposite, they skied faster without fans, but shot slower.

In the annual "Why is that not public?" IBU announced the quota list, and even included the announcement in a newsletter. That takes you to the membercenter Here is the annual complaint - Why is that list not public!!! One other associated piece of information. It looks like the IOC is reducing the slots at the Beijing Olympics. Instead of 4 slots plus 1 alternate at the games, they are only allowing 4 slots.

French teams: A team - Women BESCOND Anaïs – Armées / Morbier (Massif Jurassien) BRAISAZ-BOUCHET Justine – Douanes / Les Saisies (Savoie) CHEVALIER Chloé – Les 7 Laux (Sports de Neige du Dauphine) CHEVALIER-BOUCHET Anaïs – Douanes / Les 7 Laux (Sports de Neige du Dauphine) SIMON Julia – Douanes / Les Saisies (Savoie) Men CLAUDE Fabien – Armées / Bass sur le Rupt (Massif des Vosges) DESTHIEUX Simon – Armées / Lompnes (Lyonnais et Pays de l’Ain) FILLON MAILLET Quentin – Douanes / Grandvaux (Massif Jurassien) GUIGONNAT Antonin – Armées / Morzine Avoriaz (Mont Blanc) JACQUELIN Emilien – Douanes / Villard de Lans (Sports de Neige du Dauphine) B Team - Women BENED Camille – Chablais Nordic (Mont Blanc) BOTET Paula – La Bressaude (Massif des Vosges) BOUVARD Eve – Courchevel (Savoie) CHAUVEAU Sophie – Grand Bornand (Mont Blanc) COLOMBO Caroline – Mouthe (Massif Jurassien) GUIGONNAT Gilonne – Villard sur Boëge (Mont Blanc) JEANMONNOT Lou – Olympic Mont d’Or (Massif Jurassien) Men CLAUDE Emilien – Bass sur Rupt (Massif des Vosges) LOMBARDOT Oscar – Saugette (Massif Jurassien) MAHON Sébastien – Saugette (Massif Jurassien) PERRILLAT BOTTONET Martin – La Clusaz (Mont Blanc) PERROT Eric – Peisey Vallandry (Savoie) RIVAIL Hugo – Les Menuires (Savoie) Youth - Women BERTRAND Fany – Méribel (Savoie) CLOETENS Maya – Grenoble (Sports de Neige du Dauphiné) COUPE Camille – La Féclaz (Savoie) MICHELON Océane – Bauges (Savoie) RICHARD Jeanne – Les Gets (Mont Blanc) Men BROUTIER Remi – Bauges (Savoie) GARCIA Mathieu – Villard de Lans (Sports de Neige du Dauphiné) JEFFERIES Jacques – Les Gets (Mont Blanc) LEJEUNE Valentin – Bass sur Rupt (Massif des Vosges) LEVET Damien – Grand Bornand (Mont Blanc) The surprise is no Bourgeois Republic.

I saw the change. Ostersund gets the first week of the season and Finland gets the last one. Fyodor Svoboda is the new Estonia coach. The former Belarus coach has a one year contract.

Summer World Champs Schedule: Thursday August 26 Super sprint junior ladies qualifying Super sprint junior ladies finals Super sprint junior men qualifying Super sprint junior men finals Friday August 27 Super sprint ladies qualifying Super sprint ladies finals Super sprint men qualifying Super sprint men finals Saturday August 28 Junior ladies sprint Junior men's sprint Ladies Sprint Sprint men Sunday August 29 Junior ladies pursuit Junior men's pursuit Ladies pursuit Pursuit men

Austrian Team: National Team Lisa Hauser Dunja Zdouc Simon Eder David Komatz Equipe A Katharina Innerhofer Christina Rieder Julia Schwaiger Julian Eberhard Felix Leitner Equipe B Anna Andexer Anna Gandler Anna Juppe Femke Kramer Victoria Mellitzer Kristina Oberthaler Lisa Osl Lea Rothschopf Tamara Steiner Lara Wagner Lukas Haslinger Patrick Jakob Leon Kienesberger Nikolaus Leitinger Harald Lemmerer Fabian Müllauer Magnus Oberhauser Lucas Pitzer Thomas Postl Dominic Unterweger Equipe C Leonie Pitzer Lea Sumann Jonas Bacher Stefan Dankl Jakob Feuersinger Andreas Hechenberger Christian Langegger Jan Salzmann Marcus Stangl Raphael Steiner

Irina Starykh has retired. To say her career was controversial is an understatement.

The Italian Team: Lukas Hofer (CS Carabinieri) Dominik Windisch (CS Esercito) Didier Bionaz (CS Esercito) Tommaso Giacomel (GS Fiamme Gialle) Thomas Bormolini (CS Esercito) Patrick Braunhofer (CS Carabinieri) Daniele Cappellari (GS Fiamme Oro) Groupe B Daniele Fauner (CS Carabinieri) Cedric Christille (GS Fiamme Gialle) David Zingerle (CS Esercito) Jacopo Leonesio (CS Carabinieri) Michele Malinari (CS Carabinieri) Women Group A Lisa Vittozzi (CS Carabinieri) Dorothea Wierer (GS Fiamme Gialle) Rebecca Passler (CS Carabinieri) Michela Carrara (CS Esercito) Group B Samuela Comola (CS Esercito) Irene Lardschneider (GS Fiamme Gialle) Beatrice Trabucchi (CS Esercito) Hannah Auchentaller (CS Carabinieri) Linda Zingerle (GS Fiamme Gialle) Martina Trabucchi (CS Esercito) Eleonora Fauner (CS Carabinieri)

So I just saw this. On the IBU website, the list the work phone and mobile/cell phone number of every member of the IBU staff, including Niklas Carlsson. Also, the Biathlon Climate Challenge begins in a day.

13-14 November -Biathlon on snow will be back at Sjusjøen

Not a big surprise, but Dorothea Wierer has announced that Beijing will be her last Olympics.

Olympic Schedule announced: Mixed Relay -> Saturday 5th February 17:00 Individuals Men -> Tuesday 8th February 16:30 Women -> Monday 7th February 17:00 Sprint Men -> Saturday 12th February 17:00 Women -> Friday 11th February 17:00 Pursuit Men -> Sunday 13th February 18:45 Women -> Sunday 13th February 17:00 Mass Start Men -> Friday 18th February 17:00 Women -> Saturday 19th February 17:00 Relays Men -> Tuesday 15th February 17:00 Women -> Wednesday 16th February 15:45

Timofey Lapshin has been banned for 1 year, to end on 22 Sept 2021. This will allow him to compete at the 2022 Olympics.

The Swiss announced their team for 2021-2022: National Team: Weger Benjamin 1989 Team A: Cadurisch Irene 1991 Gasparin Aita 1994 Gasparin Elisa 1991 Gasparin Selina 1984 - I would assume that this would be her last season, but who knows. Häcki Lena 1995 Finello Jeremy 1992 Jäger Martin 1987 Team B: Barmettler Flavia 1998 Baserga Amy 2000 Meier Lea 2001 Meinen Susi 1992 Volken Flurina 1993 Bovisi Sandro 1997 Burkhalter Joscha 1996 Fravi Laurin 1999 Hartweg Niklas 2000 Salutt Nico 1998 Stalder Gion 1999 Stalder Sebastian 1998 Wiestner Serafin 1990 Team C: Burkhalter Yara 2002 König Seraina 2001 Perren Marlène 2003 Wallimann Lorena 2001 Dauphin Valentin 2001 Keller Yanis 2002 Roth Jan 2002 Zberg Simon 2001

Not sure if this was already posted, but the European Youth Olympic Festival will be rescheduled to 2022. It will stay on Vuokatti. "The new dates for the continent’s leading multi-sport event for athletes aged 14-18 are 20-25 March"

So, Clare Egan has a very interesting reason why she does not want a Boycott of the Winter Olympics, hint, it is not because she likes China's policies.

At least no Super Sprint. No Single Mixed Relay (or does that mean both Single and Mixed)? Anthlotz will decide the Individual Minsk the Relay Otepaa the Mixed Relay Olso the rest.

Yes, she is has made that announcement. This is pretty big news. I listened to a interview with her from 2016. She grew up doing nordic, jumping and biathlon, and was good at all three. When she decided on Nordic Combined, according to her side of the story, there were some unkind things said to her by a few of the USBA people. She did not name names, but it was not happy. Last season she was listed on the big list of females that the USBA could call into races, so for those who noticed it, it was pretty big news. It should be interesting to see how the shooting goes. If it comes back quickly, she should be a great addition. I think the deciding factor was that Women's Nordic Combined is still not an Olympic Sport.

Summer Rollerski schedule: 4-8 Aug : Blinkfestivalen 18-21 Aug : Toppidrettsveka 22 Aug : City Biathlon Wiesbaden 25 - 29 Aug : Summer World Championships - Nove Mesto 26 - 28 Aug août : Trollhättan Action Week 29 Aug : Salzbourg-Rollt 4 - 5 Sep : Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival 11 - 12 Sep : Lake Saimaa Roller Ski Marathon 19 Sep : Klarälvsloppet

Sweden has announced their roster for 2021-2022: A squad 2021/22 Hanna Öberg, Pitea Ski club Linn Persson, SK Bore Elvira Öberg, Pitea Ski club Mona Brorsson, Finnskoga IF Johanna Skottheim, Lima SKG Anna Magnusson, Pitea Ski club Stina Nilsson, Lima SKG Sebastian Samuelsson, I21 IF Jesper Nelin, Pitea Biathlon Club Martin Ponsiluoma, Tullus SG Peppe Femling, Piteå Biathlon Club National team development 2021/22 Malte Stefansson, Oxbergs IF Tilda Johansson , Anundsjö SKF Oskar Brandt, I2 IF Comments from the head coach: “Her (Stina Nilsson) results grew every week, with every start. She finished very well in the World Cup. Perhaps Stina’s high results at the World Cup are due to the fact that it is easier for her to compete in an environment with the best in the world, here she can show everything that she is capable of,"