Biathlon World Championships 2023

Biathlon is the sport where they go cross-country skiing with a rifle on their backs and then shoot at targets 2-4 times per race. It´s a hugely popular sport in Germany, France and the Nordic countries. And it´s a very exciting sport to watch actually, because the races tend to keep changing constantly and there are quite often surprises. Now it´s time for the 53rd edition of the Biathlon World Championships.

Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof

La Crème de La Crème of biathlon have all gone to Oberhof in Germany. The BMW IBU Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof will take place in this huge German winter sport centre between the 8th and 19th of February. Like we said, it ´s time for the 53rd Biathlon World Championships.

The schedule

Their will be 12 races at the Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof. Here you have them all:

Wednesday 8th of February
14:30-16:00 Mixed relay

Friday 10th of February
14:15-16:00 Sprint, women

Saturday 11th of February
14:30-15:50 Sprint, men

Sunday 12th of February
13:25-14:05 Pursuit, women
15:30-16:10 Pursuit, men

Tuesday 14th of February
14:15-16:30 Distans, herrar

Wednesday 15th of February
14:15-16:25 Individual, women

Thursday 16th of February
14:55-16:10 Singel mix relay

Saturday 18th of February
11:45-13:00 Relay, men
15:00-16:15 Relay, women

Sunday 19th of February
12:30-13:10 Mass start, men
15:15-16:00 Mass start, women

The favourites

The biggest stars in biathlon come from Norway, France, Germany and Sweden. So, it´s no surprise that the favourites to win the medals come from these countries.

Favourites in the womens´ competitions

The leader of the World Cup comes from France: Julia Simon. She is skiing incredibly well this season and is shooting extremely fast. The normal shooting time for standing shooting is around 30 seconds but we have seen Julia Simon down all five targets in 17 seconds!
But there are a range of other women who will try to stop the French favourite. For example, the Norwegian star Marte Olsbu Røiseland and the Swedish team, with the sisters Hanna and Elvira Öberg, Linn Persson and Anna Magnusson. We cannot forget the Germans either, who compete on home turf. Denise Herrmann-Wick is the best of the German women.

Medal candidates in the men´s competitions

In the mens´races, things look a bit less exciting, to be honest. The Norwegians have been impossible this season. Johannes Thingnes Bø is back after a break, and he has been totally unstoppable. He is skiing fast and shooting well. He is going to be the one to beat during the BMW IBU Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof.
After Johannes Thingnes Bø we find more and more Norwegians, the list is almost endless. Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes older brother Tarje Bø, Johannes Dale, Filip Fjeld Andersen and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen.

Others who can win the mens´races

It feels like the Norwegians might as well take all medals at the Biathlon World Championships 2023 but there are a few who are there to stop them! Like the Germans Benedikt Doll och Johannes Kühn, who will be cheered on by the home crowd. The French were very good last season so let´s hope they will be back. The French have Quentin Fillon Maillet, Fabien Claude and Émilien Jacquelin. The Swedes also want to have a say, with their stars Martin Ponsiluoma and Sebastian Samuelsson.

Lotto Thuringia Arena am Rennsteig

Lotto Thuringia Arena in Rennsteig, Oberhof, Germany is an impressive winter sport centre. It has a capacity for about 25,000 spectators (13,000 at the stadium and 12,000 along the tracks), and the Germans go crazy with biathlon. And then count in all the Norwegians and Swedes who have travelled to Oberhof. It´s a hugely popular sport in these North European countries. It´s going to be noisy during the Biathlon World Championships 2023!

Where can I watch the BMW IBU Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof?

Like we mentioned earlier, biathlon is a very exciting sport to watch. The result will depend on the skiing speed, how fast you shoot and above all, how well you shoot. Missed shots means penalty loops and lost time. The races tend to change a lot and it´s is nerve-racking. You can watch the Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof on EuroSport (various options for suscription) or on Swedish television on SVT Play. For this last option you are also going to need a VPN tunnel, depending on where you live. For a VPN service, you can use for example PrivateVPN.

Betting on Biathlon World Championships 2023 in Oberhof

These championships are going to be exciting but you might as well want to place a small bet, just to make it even more thrilling. Check out the odds on one of our gambling sites.