For sports fans around the world, COVID-19 has truly ruined what looked to be an outstanding sporting year. Many events and competitions have been stopped and are no longer going to be put back on, or have been postponed indefinitely. This is a major shame, as it meant that we have missed out on a year of immensely enjoyable sporting competition. However, one event that is set to return already during the next few weeks is the BMW Biathlon World Cup, as it will start towards the end of November in Kontiolahti, Finland.
The Biathlon world cup is one of the most prestigious sporting tournaments in the world. While Biathlon is not such a popular sports in English speaking countries it is massively popular in large countries like Germany, Russia and France. It is also very popular in the Nordic countries and several eastern European countries.
The last few events of the 19-20 biathlon season was called off back in March and the current plan 20-21 season revolves around having more competitions in fewer locations than would have been the case in a normal year. This has been done to decrease the traveling between different countries, which is likely to be challenging this winter.
That Biathlon is expected to start as planned is big news for those who are looking for something to watch as the winter months roll in. The problem is that many major events in the winter sports categories are being postponed or closed entirely for 2021. More or less all the events in America are now cancelled entirely, as are many European events.
What should I watch for my winter sports?
The FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup started last month in Soelden, Austria and the FIS Cross Country Skiing World Cup will kick off about the same time as the biathlon. FIS, the skiing federation, have unlikely the IBU, biathlon federation, stuck to their normal season plan. FIS does not plan to decrease the number of world cup locations or the traveling of the athletes. This plan receive a shot across the bow some days ago when the second world cup event in Lillehammer, Norway was postponed as the Norwegian government did not approve the Covi-19 safety protocol in a timely manner.
As the sports of Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing and Ski Jumping all seems likely to spring into action soon, you might find that you are looking for help from a winter sport tipster to help you work out who is most likely to do well in the upcoming competitions. There are hopes that Germany can find a winner again, though the Scandinavian nations have in recent years brought consistently impressive teams with them to compete in the event. The fact that many of the biathlon events this year will be held in the same place, though, will mean less variety for the viewer but more chance for the competitors to learn about what is coming up for them. This could help to produce some surprise results, as competitors get to grips with the journeys they will need to undertake should they wish to come to the end of the 2021 BMW Biathlon Cup with a Gold medal hanging around their necks.
