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Kalle Lähdesmäki (left), Markku Pyykkönen, Kimmo Turunen, Sari Jormanainen, Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Jaana Pitkänen, Teijo Pakarinen, Tomi-Pekka Riihivuori and Tapio Pukki participated in the Finnish World Cup search delegation.
Biathlon World Championships 2027 in Otepää, Estonia
In addition to Otepää, Finland's Kontiolahti competed for the 2027 World Cup hosting.
"We congratulate Otepäää. We had a tough fight to host the competition, and this time the IBU wanted to give a chance to a new World Championship country", says the president of the Finnish Biathlon Union Kalle Lähdesmäki.
Kontiolahti is preparing for a new search
According to Kimmo Turunen, the chairman of Kontiolahti Urheilijat ry, which organizes World Cup events and prestigious competitions in Finland, Kontiolahti is preparing to apply for the World Cup hosting again in two years.
"In the fall of 2024, the IBU will distribute the World Championship hosts for the years 2028 and 2029. We will start preparing for a new round of applications," says Turunen.
Kontiolahti's World Cup competition was attended by an exceptionally comprehensive network of actors from various fields.
"During the application phase, we assembled a strong cooperation network consisting of 15 regional and national actors, which covers, for example, the municipal sector, business life and educational institutions. With this team, it's easy to go get the next available competition hosts," says Turunen.
Blue and white opening for the World Cup season
The next time the attention of the biathlon world will be focused on Finland in two months, when the World Cup season opens in Kontiolahti.
The World Cup events, and especially the opening of the season, are the most significant events in the sport after the World Cup, says Kontiolahti's World Cup events managerSami Leinonen.
"Finnish people expect an interesting season under the leadership of the new Norwegian head coach. The national team's success last season adds to the interest, thanks to which Finland got one new athlete's place in the men's series," says Leinonen.
Info: Biathlon World Cup opening in Kontiolahti 29.11.-4.12.2022
- Eight races from Tuesday to Sunday: normal races, relays, sprint races and pursuits.
- See schedules and ticket options.
