Norway, Austria, Finland bid to hosts 2028 and 2029 biathlon worlds
Norwegian capital Oslo, Autria's Hochfilzen and Finland's Kontiolahti have submitted applications to host the biathlon world championships in 2028 and 2029, ruling body IBU said on Thursday.
The candidates will now undergo a thorough evaluation process and an IBU evaluation commission will visit each venue to assess the infrastructure, logistics, and overall suitability for hosting a world-class event.
A decision regarding the hosts will be made by the IBU Congress on September 26-29.
All three candidates have strong traditions of organizing biathlon events. Hochfilzen regularly features as the second stop on the World Cup circuit and last hosted the world championships in 2017.
Kontiolahti too has been a mainstay in the World Cup, opening the season twice in the last four years. The venue last hosted the world championships in 2015.
Oslo’s historic Holmenkollen Ski Arena, meanwhile, has often been the location of the World Cup season closer and last played host to the championships in 2016.
The 2025 world championships will be held in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), while the 2027 edition will be hosted by Otepaa (Estonia). The event won't take place in 2026 due to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
