The IBU and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have announced that the brand-new digital platform – Eurovision Sport – is set to ensure biathlon fans worldwide will have greater access to biathlon competitions than ever before – starting with the 2024 BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon.

Set to take place in Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czechia, on 7-18 February, the World Championships will be streamed free-to-air on Eurovision Sport to audiences anywhere and anytime, complementing the coverage already provided by Europe’s public service broadcasters. Available via the web through desktop and mobile as well as an app (IOS and Android), Eurovision Sport is Europe’s only fully free sports streaming service. The digital platform will ensure that biathlon fans worldwide never have to miss a moment of their favourite events. Fans who are registered on IBU’s digital channels biathlonworld.com and the IBU App will have automatic access to the new digital streaming platform.

In Nove Mesto Na Morave, about 200,000 spectators are expected to attend the nine competition days creating an electric atmosphere for the 300 athletes participating and the millions of fans watching at home. More than 20 broadcasters will broadcast the Championships and its 12 competitions reaching a total average live audience of more than 8 million viewers every day.

IBU President Olle Dahlin said:

“The IBU has worked with the European Broadcasting Union for more than 30 years to help grow and nurture the sport on public service media. We are delighted to take this partnership with EBU to digital platforms to enable biathlon fans greater access to this year’s World Championships and future biathlon events. We are sure that the world’s best biathletes will put on an unforgettable show for the fans around the world and all those who have the pleasure of watching live in the venue. Nove Mesto Na Morave is a fantastic venue for elite biathlon and as the biggest venue on the biathlon circuit, promises an incredible atmosphere.”

Executive Director of Eurovision Sport Glen Killane said:

"The EBU and our Members are proud to partner with the IBU to ensure that audiences across Europe and the world get to see wonderful events like the upcoming World Championships. That commitment to audiences and our IBU partnership is further strengthened with the launch of the Eurovision Sport digital platform, giving audiences everywhere more choice and access to the sports content they love for free".

Jiri Hamza, IBU Vice-President and President of the Nove Mesto na Morave Organising Committee, said:

“We cannot wait to welcome biathlon fans to Nove Mesto. In the past years, we have modernised the Vysocina Arena to guarantee a sustainable and modern delivery of major sport events like the Biathlon World Championships. We are ready to host a biathlon festival with up to 30,000 spectators per day.”

The 2024 World Championships is a voluntary signatory of the IBU Sustainability Charter and has undertaken extensive venue renovations to implement best practices for sustainable sport. Newly built permanent structures will reduce the demand for transportation of equipment, significantly lowering CO2 production. An upgraded resource-efficient snow management is in place with significant capacity to produce and store snow with minimal snow loss. The Organising Committee has also prioritised the utilisation of local resources and reduced travel with carpooling and shuttle connections. Click here for more information on the NMNM 2024 Sustainability Map.

Leveraging the season’s highlight event as a platform to reach out to the worldwide Biathlon Family, the IBU is partnering with Pledgeball, to engage fans on environmental sustainability and climate change.

This collaboration aims to raise awareness amongst biathlon fans attending and watching the Championships about the importance of concrete individual climate action. The Biathlon Climate Pledge challenge invites fans to join as a community to pledge a green action of their choice to help protect our natural environment. The fans’ carbon emission savings pledged during the event are donated to their favourite biathlon team and tallied up into a separate ‘Green’ Leaderboard. To find out more, click here.

The IBU’s official biathlon prediction game, the Predictor Challenge powered by LaVita will also return this year, giving fans the opportunity to win fantastic prizes by predicting the podium of each Championship competition and answering two bonus questions.

Photo: Svoboda/IBU