Grilled sausage, rally cars, indoor bandy: sport and DIY in the Biathlon IBU Cup

The opening competition of the international IBU-cup season from Thursday to Sunday gathers biathlon skiers from 31 countries in addition to the host country to Kontiolahti. The number of both teams and athletes is greater than in previous World Cup events organized in Kontiolahti.

"The competition technical arrangements do not differ at all from the World Cup. If possible, a larger number of participants can bring a more competitive atmosphere to the athletes' mutual competition than the World Cup", says the event's director Sami Leinonen from the Kontiolahti Athletes.

Free buses and admission

A year from now, the 2024-25 World Cup season will open in Kontiolahti. Also in the 2025-26 season, one of the events of the World Cup tour will be held in North Karelia.

"In the season that has just started, the IBU Cup is the most important international biathlon event in Finland. We hope the audience will cheer on Finnish athletes as well as athletes from other countries," says Leinonen.

To attract the public, entry to the event is free on all three race days. Also on Saturday and Sunday, the race bus running between Joensuu and the race arena is free for the public.

"Thanks to our partners that the free services of the IBU-cup are successful. Of course, we hope that this will also encourage the public to attend," says Leinonen.

Excursion day with activities

Leinonen is particularly satisfied with the cross-sport cooperation between sports clubs. In the event center of the IBU Cup, the public can get to know, among other things, the rally and rallycross cars of the Joensuu Sports Cars.

"The rally equipment and the activity points built around floorball and soccer are the kind that have hardly been seen before in biathlon competitions", Leinonen refers to the family days on Saturday and Sunday, when the competition center has activity points especially organized by local associations.

The event center also has the organizer's service point, where you can buy grilled sausage, drinks and doughnuts.

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IBU Cup 30.11.-3.12.2023

Competition program:

Thursday 30 November 2023:
11.45 Normal competition, women
15.30 Normal competition, men

Sat 2.12.2023
12.00 Speed competition, women
15.30 Quick race, men

Sun 3.12.2023
12.00 Mixed relay (2 x N + 2 x M)
15.00 Couple relay (N+M)

All competitions can be watched at Yle Areena, with Jari Haapala as commentator.

Activity and presentation points for family days:

• Pohjois-Karjalan Osuuskauppa PKO: At PKO's S-Biili on Saturday and Sunday, you can participate in a raffle of 10 hotel gift cards.
• Pohjois-Karjalan Liikunta ry (Pokali): Jekku-Jänö, which moves families along with the point, and an addictive system for testing reaction speed!
• In the truck that focuses on the presentation of the safety footwear of Northern Europe's largest footwear manufacturer Sievi, you can find e.g. SieviSCANNER service for scanning feet and the opportunity to familiarize yourself with Sievi's TractionPro® friction sole collection
• Joensuu Urheiluautoilijat will bring two karting cars, a Super Car class four-wheel drive rallycross car and an approximately 400 horsepower rear-wheel drive BMW M3 F-group rally car to the competition center.
• At the Kontiolahti floorball club FB Factor's Sunday activity point, you can try out what kind of combined sport is created from biathlon and floorball!
• Kontiolahti's football club Lehmon Pallo -77 will be able to test on Saturday how football skills work in the snowy scenery of December.
• Three kinds of throws at Kontiolahti Outdoor's point: the traditional Karelian yard game squat, the ice corner brought from the Alps to North Karelia and frisbee golf, which has rapidly increased the number of enthusiasts.

Free bus transfers from Joensuu

The Kontiolahti Athletes, together with Pohjois Karjala Osuuskaupa and Joen Loka, will organize free public buses from Joensuu to the Kontiolahti biathlon stadium on Saturday 2 December. and on Sunday 3.12.

Public buses leave from the Tourist stop opposite Joensuu Art Museum. Buses start operating on both days at 10:30. See the detailed schedule.