Biathlon fans have to adjust their calendars. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) presented the new dates for the years 2026 to 2030 on Friday.
The most important change from the German perspective is that the World Cup will take place significantly later in the future – only after the annual World Championships or Olympic Games, which will be at the end of February or early March. The World Cups on Rennsteig have been taking place in early January for almost 30 years.
The DSV is satisfied: “At first glance, it may be surprising if a proven system is to be reformed”said DSV board member Stefan Schwarzbach. “The plan, which was presented to us today, seems to be taken into account most of our joint considerations. As a DSV, it was of course primarily important to us that we also represent in the calendar every year with our two locations in Oberhof and Ruhpolding in the next four years are.”
“Great chance for Oberhof”
In particular, the relocation of the Oberhof World Cup should be welcomed: “We see that as a great opportunity for Oberhof. The first week of January was not always easy because of the weather conditions. With the shift of six to seven weeks, the biathlon fans should hopefully a little more often the blue Thuringian sky see.”
One -time change in Ruhpolding
The one-time pre-laying of the World Cup in Ruhpolding in the winter of 2026/27 in the first week of January is more problematic. “Because of the Christmas holidays, this is definitely not a very easy exercise because the usual processes and agreements can probably not be taken over.so Schwarzbach.
The 2026/27 season begins
It is also new that a two-day World Cup event will be held on Pokljuka/Slovenia in the 2026/2027 and 2028/2029 seasons on a weekend in late December/early January. For this, the opening weekend in these winters will be deleted in November to keep the number of competitions the same.