World Cup, Canmore 2024-03-17 22:20 (CET)
Men 15 km Mass
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World Cup, Canmore 2024-03-17 22:20 (CET)
Men 15 km Mass
2023-03-26 12:02 |
Olle Dahlin: Biathlon is on a positive trajectory
Olle Dahlin first time visited Ukraine. Before the start of the mass-starts at the Ukrainian championship, IBU President gave an exclusive interview to our site biathlon.com.ua.
- Mr. Olle, welcome to Ukraine! It's your first time in Bukovel, what was your impression of the stadium and the resort in general?
- It was very interesting to be at this resort and we had a short tour around, and it is an impressive resort in total. I am very happy that inside this resort develop biathlon stadium and it looks very good.
- This stadium was built with the ambition to host international competitions here. In your opinion, is this possible in the foreseeable future? Of course, in case to security guarantees for the participants.
- I think this stadium has a potential to host international competitions. What important that’s also parallel to the venue to develop and organize committee. That’s also know international competition.
- What stadium do you consider to be the benchmark in the world of biathlon that Ukraine should look up to in terms of construction and organization?
- We have a very high level today of World Cup and World championships stadiums. So, I will really not point at specific stadium. I think it is very important look around and do the benchmark and takes best pieces from this stadiums. What I also would recommend that is to invite our specialists to make some recommendation now for the future development on the stadium. And I said in the morning to your President: ‘Please, write a letter to IBU and invite us and we come here and do some audit and recommendation how to develop the stadium’
- Last year, the IBU, with the help of national federations, provided significant assistance in training Ukrainian athletes. Unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine is still very difficult. Can the Ukrainian federation hope to continue such support?
- I think we had a very good corporation with the Ukrainian Federation according to this project. We had the eight of our members federations who supported this in a very good way.
We are now at the end of the season. So I think we had to evaluate here together with the Biathlon Federation of Ukraine. We take it from there and see how the future can look like.
- After Russia's aggression began, the IBU became a leader among international sports federations in punishing representatives of aggressor countries. Is the opinion of the biathlon community as unanimous in supporting Ukraine now?
The easy answer is - yes. And we had a congress in September and there, there were voting on two motions and really very strong support for the Ukrainian Biathlon Federation and the decision, stays as long as the situation doesn't improve.
- Instead, we have the example of Martin Fourcade, who, as a member of the IOC Athletes' Committee, is promoting the idea of allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Olympic Games. What is your personal attitude to this?
I know that IOC is looking into how Russian and Belarusian athletes could come back into the Olympics. For us as a winter sport federation this question is not on the table at this moment. I think it’s more prioritized for the summer Olympic Games in Paris 2024. As for IBU, we stay with decision we have from the Congress.
- According to the results of the past season, has biathlon returned to its "pre-coronavirus" position in terms of attendance at competitions, or were the consequences of the pandemic still felt?
- The Biathlon community has learned from the pandemic to be cautious about virus and infection spread. Currently, there are no specific International Biathlon Union (IBU) rules; adhering to national guidelines and using common sense is advised for handling these situations.
- This winter we have seen the unique achievements of Johannes Bøе. Do you think having such a dominant athlete is good or bad for biathlon?
- Generally, having a superstar in a sport increases interest and encourages other athletes to train harder, driving overall competitiveness and growth.
- Due to climate change, over the years, more and more different stages are facing a lack of natural snow. Is it possible that the future calendar will give preference to stadiums located further north?
- Climate change is a serious issue, and as an international federation, we must contribute to combating it and act as role models. Our focus includes optimizing travel to reduce carbon footprints, as well as addressing the travel impact of fans attending events. For instance, the upcoming World Championships in Lenzerheide will offer combined train and entrance tickets. Additionally, advancements in artificial snow production provide short-term solutions for maintaining existing venues on our calendar.
- The IBU is making efforts to raise the profile of summer biathlon. In particular, the prize money at the World Summer Biathlon Championships has been increased. What could be the next steps to increase attention to biathlon throughout the year? Perhaps creating a separate summer World Cup or including the Summer World Championships as an additional stage in the existing World Cup?
- The strategy, decided at our last Executive Board meeting in February, emphasizes increased focus on World Championships, supporting organizers and athletes alike. We aim to make summer biathlon more popular, prioritizing attendance at championships and regional competitions involving a handful of nations.
There is potential for your country to develop both winter and summer events by applying for regional competitions. With a successful evaluation of the World Championship and regular cup focus, we can take the next step for summer biathlon. Personally, I see great potential in summer biathlon's future.
- How do you see the biathlon of the future? For example, in ten years?
- We are on a positive trajectory, with overall objectives set until 2030, including doubling the number of participants worldwide, where summer biathlon could play a crucial role. Another goal is to double biathlon's income, which is vital for event development and supporting our national federations. Lastly, as previously discussed, reducing our carbon footprint is essential to ensure a sustainable future with good winters.
These three main objectives are our primary focus moving forward.
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