International Biathlon Union Announces World Cup Schedule

The International Biathlon Union has announced its 2026–2030 World Cup calendar, which includes events at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, and Canmore, Alberta, to close the 2028–2029 season.

The IBU World Championships are confirmed for Otepää, Estonia, in 2027; Hochfilzen, Austria, in 2028 and Oslo in 2029 before the Olympic competitions in the French Alps in 2030.

“We are delighted to confirm our hosts for the next four seasons and provide our athletes, fans, broadcasters and partners with certainty of fantastic competitions in the years to come,” said IBU President Olle Dahlin. “We are fortunate to have so many excellent biathlon hosts and to be in a such a strong position that allows us to test new setups to guarantee that our sport is able to answer the challenges of the future. At the IBU we are always looking at ways we can innovate to ensure that biathlon continues to grow and fulfills its enormous potential.”

For the first time, in the 2026–2027 and 2028–2029 seasons, a two-day World Cup event will be held in Pokljuka, Slovenia, on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day weekend. The Solder Hollow event will take place March 6–11, 2029, followed by the Canmore competition on March 13–18, 2029.

This is the third biathlon World Cup event to be held at the Soldier Hollow venue since 2001. Soldier Hollow hosted biathlon competitions during the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and will also be a competition venue for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“We are thrilled to welcome the biathlon world back to Soldier Hollow,” said Jack Gierhart, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Biathlon Association. “It is a fantastic venue that offers a competitive and spectator experience that is among the best in the world. Our athletes love to compete at Soldier Hollow in front of home fans and inspire young athletes to set their sights on the 2034 Games.  Showcasing the best biathletes in the world is an incredible opportunity for our community.”

The introduction of the two-day event will be compensated by removing the opening weekend of the season in November in those two seasons. A two-week break in December will remain on the schedule following consultation with athletes and teams.

“Developing the biathlon calendar is a delicate balancing act as we need to deliver competitions that prioritize our athletes and teams but also create the very best spectator and viewer experience, respect commitments to sustainability and mastering logistics challenges,” said Daniel Böhm, IBU sport and event director. “We believe that the 2026–2030 calendar provides a good balance of traditional events with new events, such as the New Year weekend in Pokljuka and a February/March World Cup in Oberhof, which will allow us to follow the snow, maximize engagement while still putting athletes front and center.”

The World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, will be moved from its traditional spot in the first week of January to the end of February/early March, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions toward the end of the season. In the 2028–2029 season, the World Cup in Oberhof will follow after the Oslo World Championships with the usual post-World Championships break then taken ahead of the World Cup traveling to the United States and Canada.