Audience Hit Biathlon South Tyrol

While other sports like ski jumping are at risk of becoming pure TV events because the rules are too complicated and hardly understandable for the audience in the stadium, biathlon is becoming increasingly popular. Naturally, South Tyrol and Tyrol also play in the top league in this sport.

The combination of cross-country skiing and shooting, of physical exertion to the limit and at the same time the highest concentration and steady hand, is already immensely exciting and an extreme challenge for the athletes. The IBU has also ensured attractive competitions with clear and "fair" rules, so that the tension can be transmitted directly to the audience. The construction of new, modern biathlon stadiums has also contributed to the attractiveness: The shooting ranges are no longer located somewhere on the track, but centrally and easily visible to the audience. Modern technology such as video screens allows spectators to experience the most exciting moments - such as shooting - up close.

Biathlon is simply a fantastic live event. 30,000 spectators are no longer uncommon at World Cup events, and anyone who has experienced the great atmosphere in a biathlon stadium can understand the fascination that this sport exerts on the audience. In hardly any other winter sport, the audience is so enthusiastic, and the athletes are rarely cheered on as fanatically as in biathlon.

Tyrol and South Tyrol are already traditionally represented every year in the IBU World Cup with two top events. In the beautiful Hochfilzen in the Pillerseetal, World Cup points are usually fought for as early as December, and the competitions have long been considered "classics". In 2005, Hochfilzen also hosted the IBU World Championships, which will be held here again in 2017.

In South Tyrol, it is Antholz at the foot of the Hochgall, where the World Cup entourage stops every year in January. Antholz is one of the most renowned biathlon and cross-country skiing centers of all, and five biathlon World Championships have already been held here, most recently in 2007. The trails, which partly run along the enchanting Antholzersee, are among the most beautiful in the whole of South Tyrol, and the races here are one of the absolute highlights of the season every year.

And two more places are of importance in the biathlon calendar this year: The Junior World Championships 2013 will take place in Obertilliach. From January 23 to February 2, 2013, the international biathlon juniors will compete for the world championship crowns at the picturesque and modern biathlon center of the East Tyrolean municipality. By the way, the most successful biathlete of all time, the Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen, also lives in Obertilliach.

The venue of the 2007 Junior World Championships, Martell in Vinschgau, will once again be the venue for the IBU Cup from February 1 to 3, 2013, the second competition series of the IBU. In the modern biathlon center of Martell, around 250 athletes from over 30 nations will compete: exciting races and a great atmosphere are guaranteed here as well.