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Antholz IOC

Antholz host of IBU-IOC Project

With winter being just around the corner, winter sports athletes are getting to the final stages of their preparation for the new season. This – of course – also includes biathletes, many of which have recently had training camps or even some competitions. Other athletes however, are currently in Antholz, taking part in one of the so-called IBU-IOC camps, which takes place from October 11 to October 17.

These camps aim at supporting smaller national biathlon federations and allow athletes as well as coaches to improve their skills for future events and competitions. Each country is allowed to send one male and one female athlete together with a coach to participate. Through initiatives like these the IBU shows its commitment to sustainably support federations and provide a platform for them to get closer to the world’s elite athletes. Since most of the activities – even including the traveling costs – are covered by the IBU itself, the participants do not even have to worry about financing the trip.

Antholz welcomed the athletes with ideal training weather. Blue skies, a lot of sun and temperatures not too warm or cold. This camp featured a wide variety of athletes with 20 federations from 4 different continents taking part. Through their social media channels, the IBU provided insight as the athletes could be seen taking shooting drills, coordination exercises and fun games. Even world champion Anais Bescond, who hung up her rifle at the end of last season showed up to support the athletes and gave the event an even more prestigious touch.

This IBU-IOC summer camp is a great way to encourage athletes as well as federations to engage with the biathlon sport. We will likely see some of the young athletes participating in the IBU Cup or even the World Cup in the coming years.

Henrik Gruber