In Sweden, work has begun on a new biathlon performance center at the Östersund location. Top ski hunter Elvira Öberg was enthusiastic – and immediately made a prediction about how long she wanted to be on the World Cup circuit.
Biathlon star Elvira Öberg is looking forward to a possible world championship in her homeland in five years.
“If there is a World Cup here in 2031, then I definitely want to be there,” said the 27-year-old on “SVT” on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony for the new performance center in Östersund.
Elvira, Hanna Öberg’s sister who is three years younger, has been running for the Swedish World Cup team since 2019. She has since achieved eleven individual victories in the top biathlon league and came second in the overall ranking in the 2021/22 season – her best placement to date. She had finished fourth in the past two seasons.
Last February she won the silver medal in the relay at the Winter Olympics, and she won gold with the Swedish quartet four years earlier in Beijing. In 2025 she was crowned world champion in the mass start.
13 million euros for a new performance center
With the construction of the new performance center in the national arena in Östersund, Sweden wants to improve its own chances at the World Cup. Completion of the 140 million Swedish krona (approx. 13 million euros) building is scheduled for 2027. The center includes a gym, an indoor shooting range and biathlon treadmills.
“The idea came about during the World Cup competitions on site. We thought about how we could improve the whole thing from a sustainability perspective. The idea was then further developed together with the performance aspect,” says Sofia Domeij, chairwoman of the Swedish Biathlon Association about the new major project.
The Biathlon World Championships last took place in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) last year and will be held in Otepää (Estonia) in 2027. The biathlon world last visited Östersund in 2019.
