The International Biathlon Union has changed the starting rules for sprint and individual races. To please television ratings, the IBU deprived top athletes of a special privilege.
What has changed?
The International Biathlon Union, which generally does not have financial problems compared to the FIS, has sought high television ratings. In this sense, the organization announced changes to the starting rules in sprint and individual races.
Previously, biathletes in the top 15 overall were allowed to choose their starting group. Depending on weather, track conditions and other factors, leaders generally preferred the former. Athletes from these latter groups rarely managed to force a fight against them. Then, halfway through the race, Boe and company reached the finish line and prepared to celebrate the victory, while the rest barely made it to the start.
The IBU decided to put an end to this. The organization is confident that in this situation, spectators in stadiums and on television screens will completely lose interest in the race without waiting for it to end.
In the new season, biathletes in the top 15 will lose their privilege. The IBU has introduced strict rules: leaders are determined in the middle of the exit protocol. This means that the first of them will begin to compete with number 46 and the last with number 75. The numbers are conditional and depend on the number of registered athletes. The race favorites will start mixed with the biathletes not included in the top 30. According to the IBU, this will keep the intrigue and therefore the spectator on the screens and in the stadium until the end of the race.
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“There is a risk of unfair competition”
The leaders of world biathlon, to put it mildly, are not happy with the new rules. The Norwegian Federation even organized a meeting with the IBU to stop their plans. The efforts were in vain.
“This is what we were all afraid of. I think the opposite will happen. If people turn on biathlon and don’t see the best, they will change the channel and lose viewers. Nobody is capable of waiting 40 minutes for the leaders to arrive on the bench. We talked about this,” said Johannes Boe.
Athletes are confident that the new rules are a step backwards in the development of biathlon. According to leaders, these changes deprive them of fair competition.
“We understand the idea of a federation, but we are critical of the expected changes. I will try to defend the position of the athletes. Of course, there are races where the conditions are the same for everyone, but this is not always the case. This change will have a direct impact on our sport. After all, racing conditions are not ideal and depend on location. Somewhere there are soft tracks, somewhere there is artificial snow and you need to run in a small group. This could be a problem for athletes,” worries Johannes Kühn.
“We were very critical of this proposal and voted against it through our representative in the organization. I know that the vast majority of biathletes are against this.
There used to be a very good system. Everyone was happy. But we realized they wanted a change, mainly for television and more exciting racing. However, there is a risk of unfair competition. Whoever occupies 16th place in the World Cup will be able to start 16th in the race, and whoever is 15th overall will be able to get number 75,” Sebastian Samuelsson is dissatisfied.
Sebastian Samuelsson
Photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images
“I understand the reasons that led the federation to make this decision, but I am a little skeptical about it because the change seems significant to me. There is no point in hiding, the new regulations deprive the strongest of their advantages. Therefore, it is normal that many people are not satisfied with it. But in the end, whatever the athletes think, the decision has already been made, although the majority did not agree with it, including me. So we have to adapt to the rules and the changes, as we have always done,” laments Lisa Vittozzi.
“I don’t think anyone felt the need for this change, which probably only the broadcasters wanted. We know that in modern sports television ratings are considered the most important thing because most of the revenue comes from there. In many cases, this is detrimental to the purely sporting aspect and, unfortunately, we athletes cannot do anything about it.
Of course, there will be even more surprises, because in biathlon the strongest usually wins, but not always. Let’s see. In my opinion, this election represents a step backwards. We think exclusively about television ratings, leaving aside other aspects. “I’m a little sorry,” Tommaso Giacomel said.
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“We owe it to the television networks”
Vittozzi and Giacomel’s compatriot, Dorothea Wierer, is not so categorical in her statements. Doro reminded everyone that biathletes owe a debt to television. He also noted that the IBU is willing to revisit the rules if his idea does not produce the desired result. In an official press release, the federation assured athletes that it will constantly monitor and make changes to the regulations if the evaluation requires it.
“Now I am in the final stage of my career, but for young people who still have many years ahead of them, it is important that biathlon does not lose interest and gets space compared to other sports. If the IBU has excellent income, we obviously owe it to the television channels and everything that racing has to offer. This benefits the athlete himself, who can earn more through prize money and sponsorships.
Of course, future starts will be different for the big names, but it must also be said that in case of special conditions, the IBU has already established rules according to which the jury can return to the old starting order system. The IBU, of course, does not want to harm our sport, but rather to make it more spectacular and attractive. Before you criticize something, you should try it,” Wierer said.
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