Worlds in Finsterau to highlight Nordic calendar

“With the World Cup calendar leading towards the World Championships and then the Test Event in PyeongChang, there is so much to follow in Para biathlon and Para cross-country.”

Finsterau, Germany, has been announced as the host for the 2017 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships, alongside the high-level race calendar for 2016-17.

More than 135 skiers from 25 countries are expected for the Worlds between 10-19 February, for the last major event ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

Christian Eder, Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee and sports club SV Finsterau, said: “We are very happy and proud to be the host to so many athletes and people from all over the world.

“Finsterau and the whole region are already looking forward to the Championships.”

The high-level race calendar for 2016-17 has also been confirmed.

Vuokatti, Finland, will once again be the World Cup season opener between 9-16 December, followed by Western Center, Ukraine, from 13-20 January.

After the World Championships, athletes will get the chance to ski the courses of the Alpensia Biathlon Centre between 10-15 March at the Test Event for PyeongChang 2018.

The World Cups Finals will then round-off the season in Sapporo, Japan from 18-22 March.

Dimitrije Lazarovski, Head of IPC Snow Sports, said: “We are entering the most exciting phase of the Paralympic cycle and we expect the 2016-17 season to be thrilling.

“With the World Cup calendar leading towards the World Championships and then the Test Event in PyeongChang, there is so much to follow in Para biathlon and Para cross-country.

“Finsterau ran a very successful World Cup last season and we are very much looking forward to seeing what they will do for the Worlds. We can certainly expect to see the standard of athlete performances step up as we move closer to the Paralympic Winter Games.”

Finsterau 2017 will involve 270 volunteers and will be held at the SV Finsterau biathlon and cross-country skiing venue. The town sits 1,000m above sea level in the municipality of Mauth in Freyung-Grafenau in the Bavarian Forest.

The last World Championships were held in Cable, USA, in 2015 and featured 125 athletes from 17 countries.