The inaugural Loop One Festival is just one month away, promising to showcase the world’s best biathletes in an unprecedented urban setting, complete with world-class musical performances and an electrifying festival atmosphere.

For the first time ever, on 18-19 October, the Loop One Festival will bring the official biathlon season opener of the IBU into the city, with Munich’s iconic Olympic Park transformed into a two-day urban biathlon festival to kick off the Olympic season.

The season opener will attract the world’s best biathletes from Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy and more, guaranteeing spectacular and unmissable Super Sprint competitions on Sunday from 11 am – 5 pm. Among the stars competing will be Franziska Preuss (GER), who will face off against Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA) in Munich for the first time since last season’s dramatic season ender in Oslo. On the men’s side, last season’s overall World Cup winner, Sturla Holm Laegreid (NOR), will also compete in Munich and go toe-to-toe once again with his close French rivals Eric Perrot and Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA).

Away from the elite competition, the Festival on Saturday and Sunday will have a huge amount to offer families and fans in attendance with youth and para biathlon competitions, Biathlon for All activities for the whole family to try, as well as spectacular musical performances. Rising artist, writer and producer, and coach on The Voice of Germany, Kamrad, will headline the music concert supported by Austrian singer-songwriters Freude and Felicia Lu.

Daniel Böhm, IBU Sport & Event Director, said:

“With one month to go, excitement is really building for the first-ever Loop One Festival. It is an unmissable event as all the world’s leading biathlon nations have committed to compete with their top athletes. By hosting the season opening in Munich Olympic Park, we're giving fans unprecedented access to their heroes while giving spectators also the chance to try biathlon for theirselves.

“Our incredible athletes are the main attraction, but the Loop One Festival is also more than a biathlon competition – it’s an inclusive two-day celebration of biathlon, culture, music and entertainment. New and existing fans, young and old, para and able bodied can all come together to enjoy our sport and even try it for themselves.”

The Festival will be accessible to all, with fans able to enter the park and enjoy the activities and watch the competition along the course free of charge. Only on Sunday, seats in the grandstand for the shooting will be ticketed and can be purchased here.

The full programme for the festival can be found here.

The Festival is a part of the IBU’s Target 2030 strategic plan and its commitment to extending its reach through innovation. By reimagining its approach to summer biathlon with an easy-to-understand, head-to-head format in an urban festival environment, the IBU hopes to engage a whole new demographic.