World Cup Circuit

The IBU World Cup is a rollercoaster spread across three trimesters and nine action-packed weeks. It all begins up north in Sweden or Finland, where snow is more or less guaranteed, before the athletes head to the Austrian Alps and then race into the festive atmosphere of French Savoie Alps in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand - just before the Christmas break.

The second trimester is the blockbuster stretch: Germany's Oberhof and Ruhpolding, plus Italy's Antholz-Anterselva, draw massive crowds and some of the loudest cheers of the season. After the World Championships, the circuit winds down with a rotating set of hosts in Slovenia, Czechia and Estonia, before finishing in style at Oslo-Holmenkollen, where breathtaking views of the Oslofjord frame the final battles.

Over the season, athletes line up for 21 individual competitions—Sprints, Pursuits, Individuals, and Mass Starts—plus five Men's and Women's Relays, along with three Mixed and three Single Mixed Relays. At the finish line, the most consistent biathlete earns the coveted Total Score title, while discipline scores, U23 and O35 awards, and national rankings honour excellence across every corner of the sport.

A biathlete in a red bib and blue and yellow suit skis along a track during a race. The distinctive Holmenkollen ski jump structure towers in the background against a bright blue sky.

A wide shot of a biathlon mass start with numerous athletes skiing across the snow. A large, crowded grandstand with national flags is visible in the background under a clear sky.

Sturla Holm Laegreid celebrates on the Holmenkollen podium, shouting and holding his skis and poles high. He is flanked by two other athletes on a stage