PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Biathlon has changed the starting order in the World Cup for the very best, which now starts later. Critics believe it can produce unfair results.
– If I see something in the results list that has changed, I am the first to book a meeting with the IBU, says the Swedish national team coach Johannes Lukas.
The change will be introduced at the World Cup premiere in Kontiolax in Finland, which starts this weekend.
Swedish criticism
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) wants to keep the excitement longer by having the top 15 get starting numbers between 46-74 and not between 1-30 as it has been until now.
But the criticism of the decision has been massive among the riders.
– I think it opens the door for more scandals. The thing (in biathlon) is that it’s not just ten people who can be on the podium. Having start number 10 or 75 can be quite a big difference, they say Elvira Öberg.
– And I see a risk that people won’t watch the TV broadcast from the start, because I don’t do that when I check the length. There could have been a middle ground.
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No compromise
The active committee, where the Swedish star Sebastian Samuelsson is chairman, suggested a compromise with earlier starting numbers for the best. But it was not accepted.
– I really hope that we don’t end up in discussions about what the results lists would look like if everyone had equal conditions, he says.
The national team coach John Luke says that he and his colleagues from other nations get a lot of statistics from the races and are in constant contact with the IBU.
– If I see something in the results list that has changed, I am the first to book a meeting with the IBU and show my data. They have said that the competitions before Christmas are a testing period. If they see that things are going bad, they will back down, I am absolutely sure of that, says Lukas.
If the weather conditions are very bad, the starting order can be adjusted.
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Don’t want to complain anymore
The criticism is primarily about two things: that in poorer snow conditions, it becomes increasingly difficult in the tracks the further back you start, and that it becomes difficult to warm up at certain competition venues that do not have warm-up tracks.
The Swedish national team has accepted that the decision has been made and is instead trying to find solutions for, above all, warming up if it cannot be done on snow.
– Now we can’t complain anymore. If you have problems with running as a warm-up, it’s time to practice it now, says Lukas.
Hanna Öberg says the national team has a good plan.
– And it’s nice that we got to test it before the World Cup starts.
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