Last Updated: 30 march 2026
The Biathlon World Championships (BWCH) is an international biathlon competition held annually in February and March, apart from the year of the Winter Olympics.
Athletes who compete in the BWCH earn points that count towards the overall World Cup and the Nations Cup. Not only male athletes, but also female ones take part in this championship. Men and women have been competing together in the championships since 1989.
The Biathlon World Championships 2027 will take place from February 10 to 21. The event will be held in Otepää. This will be the first World Championships in the country. The decision was approved by the International Biathlon Union.
The world’s top biathletes will compete in the tournament. Teams from Norway, France, Germany, and Sweden will take part.
Athletes from Italy, Austria, and Finland are also expected. Both top-ranked and young competitors will participate.
The program includes all key disciplines. These are sprint, pursuit, individual race, and mass start.
There will also be men’s, women’s, and mixed relays. Each race affects the overall rankings.
The tracks in Otepää are known for their difficulty. Weather conditions can change quickly. This adds unpredictability to the races.
Biathlon as a sport has its origins in a military patrol race, which involved 4 servicemen with a senior and a junior officer and 2 privates. Their task was to cover a distance of 25 km with weighted knapsacks and shoot at targets with rifles on the way. 1958 was the year of the first biathlon World Cup. At that moment the Swedish athlete Adolf Wiklund, who fired all his shots without a miss, impressed everyone. Surprisingly, at the first Biathlon World Championships a military rifle was used.
Biathlon as a discipline has been part of the Olympics since 1960.
The official history of the women’s event dates back to 1983, when it was known as the European Biathlon Championships, although not only European teams took part.
Each year the number of relays has increased, starting with the individual 20 km race.
| The year | Venue | Results |
| 2026 | In 2026, the Biathlon World Championships were not held due to the Winter Olympics. | |
| 2025 | Switzerland | France – 6 gold medals, 2 – silver, 5 – bronze Norway – 4 gold medals, 3 – silver, 2 – bronze Sweden – 1 gold medals, 2 – silver, 1 – bronze |
| 2024 | Czech Republic | France – 6 gold medals, 1 – silver, 6 – bronze Norway – 4 gold medals, 5 – silver, 3 – bronze Italy – 1 gold medals, 3 – silver, 0 – bronze |
It is already known that the city of Hochfilzen in Austria has been chosen to host the championship in 2028.
Keep an eye on the dates of the men’s and women’s biathlon competitions and other events in our Sporting Events Calendar.
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