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IBU Opens Biathlon Season in Munich With Urban Loop One Festival

Organizers aim to court younger, casual fans through a skiroller supersprint staged as a show.

Overview

  • Elite supersprints are set today in Munich’s Olympiapark after Saturday’s Para and youth races, with ARD broadcasting from 15:00 CET.
  • High demand led to added capacity at the 9,000-seat shooting-range grandstand, course-side viewing remains free, and the IBU says attendance could reach 25,000 if the weather holds.
  • Germany’s Franziska Preuß withdrew due to a hand injury, SPORT1 reports Dorothea Wierer is also out, and overall World Cup champion Sturla Holm Laegreid has criticized the timing.
  • The program features a 1.8 km course, mass-start finals over five laps with two prone and two standing shootings, a 60 m penalty loop, and a presentation at BMW Welt alongside concerts led by singer Kamrad.
  • The IBU targets Gen Z using influencer marketing and athlete-driven storytelling, highlighted by a viral pre-race moment when ducks wandered onto the purple track captured by coach Jens Filbrich.