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The IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in Otepää have been granted funds  from the International Events and Conferences Support Measure.

The aim of the project is to ensure successful organisation of the 2024 IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships, which should, in turn, increase the number of visitors in Estonia and Otepää, as well as the number of overnight stays and repeat visits to accommodation establishments in the future, and have a positive economic impact on local companies and the destination in general.

The IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon Championships will see about 450 athletes and about 300 support team members who will stay in Otepää for an average of 10-11 days. In total, about 7000-8000 overnight stays are expected. In addition, there will be foreign journalists and TV representatives (about 40 people), which will make another 300-400 stays. Foreign competitors will be also accompanied by their parents, family members and supporters. The organizers expect about 200-300 foreign visitors, which will add another 1200-1800 stays.

International practice and experience have proved the trend that international competitions encourage the national teams of other countries to arrive at the venue in advance for training. You can also notice that the event spurs interest among foreign visitors to return to the region outside the competition to explore the sights more closely. Many biathlon fans visit in summertime the competition venues where their idols compete in the winter.

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Thanks to international media attention, in particular its coverage by Eurosport, the event also improves Estonia's reputation as a destination.

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The total cost of the project is 112,804.98 euros, including the grant of 75,000 euros.