“Giving back was very important to me”

When asked his goals in creating the MFNF, without hesitation, the seven-time World Cup Total Score winner emphatically said, “Yes, giving back was very important to me. I wanted to give the French fans a taste of the summer biathlon experience like in Norway or Germany where there is not the pressure of the World Cups or World Championships. I always felt so much more relaxed in summer events, without this pressure. When I competed in these summer events, my goal was to have fun, give joy to the fans…Biathlon gave me so much. I felt like I was the one who could make an event like this and did not want to miss this opportunity to give back. I also wanted everybody at the table: biathlon, cross-country, my partners but also the other ski brands. You see in the village, everybody is here. Bringing biathlon outside the traditional stadium, to inside the city was a unique opportunity. I wanted biathlon lovers, as well as those who did not know or like it, but would become lovers of biathlon.”

Bringing Biathlon to the Big Stage

Fourcade brought his dream to fruition by combining concepts from other events. “I tried to be inspired by all of the good biathlon experiences I lived; the city centre from Blink where kids involved every day, the great TV production from Wiesbaden and the atmosphere from Antholz and Ruhpolding. We did not copy. If we wanted to succeed in Annecy with French fans, we had to have our own face.” Laughing but serious, he added, “I have my spies everywhere and they give me ideas. We are not opponents, but partners, bringing biathlon to the big stage.”

Athletes, autographs “as much free as possible”

The elite athletes who make up the competitions are the critical base of the MFNF. Interacting with them, one thing prevails: smiles. Even if they do not have their best day, the athletes enjoy the event. “I try to treat the athletes in the best way possible. I treat them in a way that I would have loved an organizer to treat me. We do everything possible from training, the atmosphere we generate and the facilities for them.”

Autograph sessions in the Ekosport Village are a very popular part of the athlete experience. Hundreds of people stand in line to spend a few seconds and get a selfie with their heroes. Fourcade admitted, “That interaction is a key point in organizing this festival. It is a big deal as an organizer, making as much as possible free. Kids in Annecy can come into the village, try biathlon, get autographs and see the athletes on the tracks all for free. In the Sunday competitions, we have more than 500 kids in the morning and over 800 adults in the afternoon. We give anyone the opportunity to discover biathlon. The tribunes are the only thing that cost money; autograph signings, animations and concerts are all free. Bringing music to the city for free, which is expensive, is also a big source of pride.”

“Think about what you want people to remember”

Martin Fourcade who transitioned from champion athlete into event organizer par excellence describes his MFNF experience as “engaged. It has my name. I built this event like I imagined as a sporting event within biathlon: open, free, engaged on the sports side but also respectful of the world in everything we do while working with people I like. You have to think about what you want to give and what you want the people to remember. They will always identify the event with me. This is what I wanted, so I have to say I am engaged!”

Smiles

Despite all of the hard work that goes into the MFNF, Fourcade is all smiles. “It is a bigger success than I ever imagined. This is our fourth edition and I have never seen more smiles at any time in my life than in these three days. This is a place where I succeed in giving happiness to people not in the media or around the world, but right here and in my home.”