The Biathlon World Championships will be held in Switzerland for the first time from 12 to 23 February 2025. The BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Lenzerheide take place in the Roland Arena, which is surrounded by sensitive moorland and the equally vulnerable habitat of the endangered capercaillie. The route planning has been adapted so that no moorland is affected. All activities in the Roland Arena, including the Biathlon World Championships, will take place in accordance with the law on wildlife quiet zones in the municipality of Lantsch/Lenz.
For the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Lenzerheide, technical snow is required in addition to natural snow to ensure planning reliability. The requirement for a cross-country ski trail is low compared to a ski slope. Around 7000 cubic meters were stored over the summer using snow farming. The technical snow is produced by snow cannons and a Snow Factory: the snow produced is not only used for the World Championships, but also as a solid foundation for the cross-country ski trail network in the Lenzerheide vacation region from the start of the season in November. This snow is not only produced for the two weeks of the World Championships, but for an entire season, and also enables many amateur cross-country skiers to pursue their passion. Excess spring water is used for snow production in the Roland Arena, and this water is neither lost nor contaminated: it is returned to nature via the normal melting and evaporation cycle. Snowmaking systems have made great strides in terms of sustainability in recent years. Energy efficiency has been increased and holistic solutions lead to a continuously optimized use of energy, water and machine hours.
The main aim of the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Lenzerheide is to further increase interest in the sport in Switzerland. In particular, more children and young people should be recruited as active biathletes: school classes from several cantons will be invited to the World Championships (free tickets).
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