For the first time ever, on March 10–13, 2022, a BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup stage will be held in Otepää, but it won't be the last world-class sports event in Estonia. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has published the race calendar for the coming years, which includes several other major biathlon competitions scheduled to be held in Estonia.
In March 2022, the world's best biathletes will gather in Otepää for the four days of the
World Cup stage. Many of these athletes have previously won titles at both the Junior World
Championships and the European Open Championships held at Tehvandi Sports Center. The IBU entrusted Estonia with hosting the IBU World Cup stage also for the year of 2026, and the event will take place again in Otepää.
In 2024, the world champions in youth and junior classes will be crowned at Tehvandi Sports Center. Once before, in 2018, the biathlon Youth and Junior World Championships were held in Otepää. The successful outcome of those events paved the way for the organization of the World Cup stage. "The organization of any international competition is a big challenge, but today we can assure that we are more prepared for the World Cup than ever before and our efforts have also been recognized by the International Biathlon Union," said Aivar Nigol, Chairman of the Otepää BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Organizing Committee.
In an interview to ERR, Borut Nunar, Race Director of IBU World Cup, said that some years ago, Otepää was a rather second-rate biathlon centre and the organizing team had to start from scratch. Today, according to Nunar, we can talk about a very modern competition venue. "The words of the Race Director are a testimonial that we have developed the Tehvandi Sports Center into an A-licensed competition venue with excellent facilities and opportunities for organizing international level events," said Nigol. "There are also plenty of accommodation and servicing options in the Otepää area, which are important for hosting major sports events."
Haanja has confirmed its place in the IBU Junior Cup calendar for 2023 and will, for the first time, host a IBU Junior Cup stage. The Junior Cup was scheduled to be held in Haanja already in 2021, but due to COVID-19 pandemic, all stages were cancelled.
Ticket sales for the World Cup stage in Otepää, in March 10–13, 2022, will commence a year earlier, on March 4, 2021. You can purchase one-, two- and four-day tickets for the track, ski stadium seating area, shooting range grandstand or VIP grandstand. The first 1000 tickets are available at discount prices.