Press releases

MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) – The Belarusian Biathlon Federation will present its bid to host one of the IBU World Cups legs before late April 2016, BelTA learnt from First Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation Sergei Bulygin.

In Austria’s Hochfilzen the First Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation and President of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Anders Besseberg discussed the possibility of organizing one of the IBU World Cup events in Raubichi. The IBU World Cup schedule is packed until 2018 inclusively. Belarus will not be able to host the event of such a level during this time. Bids can be submitted for the next four-year period, starting from 2019.

“In the near future IBU Secretary General Nicole Resch will send all necessary documents to the Belarusian Biathlon Federation and we should prepare and submit our bid before the end of April. It does not, however, that Belarus will get the right to host the IBU World Cup event. We will just joint the competition for the right to host the event with other biathlon centers. The competition will be tough. The most convenient time for Belarus is 2020 and 2021. Once the IBU World Championships 2019 have been announced to be held in Sweden’s Ostersund, the first IBU World Cup leg 2019, which is usually held in late November or early December, is free for grabs. For Belarus this time is not very good as far as weather is concerned. Today is the middle of December and we have no snow at all. Anders Besseberg suggested looking up to mid January 2020 or 2021 the time when Puhpolding and Anterselva have been bidding for the IBU World Championships. I think they will win the right to host the competitions and will not be able to host both the world forum and the IBU World Cup. It is no doubt that January is more convenient and less costly month for Belarus to host the event,” said Sergei Bulygin.

The National Winter Olympic Training Center Raubichi was built in 1974. The sport complex hosted the Biathlon World and European Championships in 1974, 1976, 1982, 1990, 1999, 2004 and 2015, the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in 1991, the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup in 1995 and 2006. The sport center Raubichi received the UIPMB gold medal for hosting the Biathlon World Championships in 1982. In 1996 the International Biathlon Union awarded the highest category to the center and licensed Raubichi to host top-level competitions without any exceptions.