Biathlon bobble: Grotian sick, Zobel fights for a World Cup ticket!

Biathlon bobble: Grotian sick, Zobel fights for a World Cup ticket!

There is currently a colorful bouquet of successes, challenges and major concerns in the world of biathlon. 24-year-old Selina Grotian, a biathlete from Mittenwald, had to miss the pursuit race at the World Cup in Östersund due to symptoms of infection. After her 30th place in the sprint, the athlete was hoping for a better placement in the pursuit. But fate wanted it differently and she is now faced with an uncertain decision as to what happens next. At the same time, there are exciting developments for their colleagues: David Zobel, who took third place in the IBU Cup and fifth place in the sprint, has a good chance of being nominated for the World Cup in Hochfilzen, despite his four shooting errors in the pursuit race, which dropped him to eighth place.

Another talented face is Leonhard Pfund, who achieved seventh place in the pursuit and fourth place in the sprint in the IBU Cup. Competitions in the cold season often bring unpredictable weather conditions, as was recently the case with Simon Jocher. The SC Garmisch skier was forced to cope with a canceled Super-G race in Beaver Creek after 30 athletes had already started. Before that, he managed to finish 20th in the Super-G at Copper Mountain. In the junior class, Georges Zerf from SC Garmisch stood out and won silver twice in the slalom at the German National Junior Races in Pass Thurn. Lars Horvath followed closely, only a hundredth of a second behind him.

Weather, weather and winter sports

However, the challenges in winter sports are not just limited to individual performance. An alarming study by the University of Innsbruck and the World Biathlon Association has examined the security situation at 38 biathlon locations up to the year 2050. The results are sobering: with moderate warming of 1.7 degrees, only 75% of locations will be safe in the peak season. In more extreme climate conditions the number could even drop to 25-30%. This represents a massive threat, especially for Central Europe, as many traditional places such as Oberhof and Ruhpolding are at risk. IBU sports director Daniel Böhm is optimistic, although not very specific, that investments in infrastructure and artificial snow could help preserve many of these locations. But the price for artificial snow remains high and can be up to 20 euros per cubic meter.

Climate expertise also shows that it is not just temperature that plays a role. A decrease in natural snowfall at low and intermediate elevations is expected as precipitation will often fall as rain. Almost like a race against time, the expert forum “Klima.Sport.Schnee” has been researching the course for the future of winter sports for years. Their findings show that the years in which competitions can safely take place on snow are drastically decreasing, which is likely to be a source of great concern not only for athletes but also for event organizers.

What happens next with biathlon?

Should the IBU continue to try to find new, climatically more favorable locations at higher altitudes, or even consider expanding to Asia? Professor Robert Steiger recommends container solutions for high-performance centers to meet the looming challenges. A change to the racing calendar is also being discussed, with the new schedule set to be released during the World Championships in Lenzerheide next February.

In the midst of these developments, it is to be hoped that athletes do not lose their motivation and passion for the sport. A good hand in planning could ensure the survival of many historic competition venues and keep winter sports highly popular in the future. The exciting question remains: After all these challenges, how well will the biathlon calendar be tailored to the individual athletes and the sport in general?