The BMW IBU World Cup season 2024/2025 is just 9 days away as Kontiolahti (FIN) prepares to host what is expected to be a gripping start to the new season.

The 2024/2025 season will showcase a number of new innovations and rules to improve the experience for spectators and fans. Among them is the recently approved seeding system for Individual and Sprint competitions with the top athletes starting in designated start groups depending on their World Cup ranking rather than choosing their start group. Fans watching on TV and in the stadia will have a greater event and viewer experience with the top athletes more spread out so their races can be followed more closely. Moreover, the best athletes from each country who are not in the Top 30 will open the competition delivering exciting competitions from the very start and throughout.

Together with its media partner Eurovision Sport, the IBU provides an AI based camera system on the shooting range for every competition. This guarantees that all 30 shooting lanes can be covered and national rightsholders can enhance the viewer experience for their respective audiences by showing every single shot of their national athletes. All competitions will be livestreamed on Eurovision’s multi-sports OTT platform eurovisionsport.com and the IBU’s website biathlonworld.com.

In another first, this season will be the first IBU Para Biathlon World Cup season organised under the leadership of the IBU. The season will feature four stages, starting in Vuokatti (FIN) on 10-15 December 2024 and concluding in Torsby (SWE) in March 2025. The IBU Para Biathlon World Championships will take place on 04-09 February 2025 in Pokljuka (SLO).

The world’s best biathletes will return to the World Cup stage in Kontiolahti on 30 November to 8 December competing across 10 men’s, women’s and mixed competitions. Over the course of the season, the World Cup will make 10 stops in some of biathlon’s most iconic venues which promise elite conditions and electric atmospheres. Among them is Lenzerheide (SUI) which will host the World Championships on 12-23 February 2024.

The IBU is looking to build on the success of last season which saw more than half a million fans attending in the stands and up to 10 million watching the competition at home as biathlon cemented its position as the top winter sport in many core winter markets. Overall media consumption (viewer hours) grew by 10% and the average live audience exceeded 6 million viewers per competition while IBU’s social media channels enjoyed a record 14 million engagements, up by 80% from the previous season.

IBU President Olle Dahlin said:

“After the staggering success of last season, we cannot wait for the return of world-class biathlon this winter. We are looking forward to the introduction of a number of new innovations which we are confident will enhance the competitions and make for more exciting races. We are also proud to organise the IBU Para Biathlon World Cup for the first time and champion the incredible performances of our para athletes. All of this together assures us of a spectacular season which will attract millions of fans in the venues and around the world to our sport.”

Following the precedent set last season, this season’s organisers will once again sign the IBU’s new Sustainability Charter, pledging to six commitments with concrete actions that help focus and fast-track efforts to reduce environmental impact while enhancing social legacies.

With its recently launched additional Instagram account @insidebiathlon, the IBU is going to cover these initiatives beyond the tracks and shooting ranges more closely, such as the IBU Academy, sustainability efforts or its recruitment programme Biathlon4All.

Photo: IBU