One huge pile of snow has saved the Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto. The International Biathlon Union laments the unpredictability caused by climate change.
– We think we are in the most valuable place of these World Cups. Without this pile of snow, there would be no World Cup. There is no snow in nature, so all the tracks are made with the power of this pile of snow, Kaisa Mäkäräinen presents in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, at the Biathlon World Championships.
During the World Cup alone, the trucks have already taken more than 10,000 cubic meters of snow to the track. That means about a thousand truckers. The height of the huge snow pile is 12 meters at its best.
Most of it was already done last year. At its maximum, the snow is one and a half years old.
– Snow must be handled in such a way that it has the right composition. It can’t be too thick and also not too light, because then it melts too quickly, Executive Director of Biathlon Stadium in Nove Mesto Jan Skricka describes.
There is still three times as much snow left in the pile as what was trucked to the tracks during the World Cup. The main event of the biathlon season has not been threatened, although the weather has been really difficult for the snow sport.
The thermometer has risen to around ten degrees in Nove Mesto. There has also been a lot of rain from the sky at times.
Sports and events director of the International Biathlon Union IBU Daniel Böhm is naturally upset about the situation.
– We would like to see freezing temperatures and a decent winter. Unfortunately, February has been warm in Central Europe. We hope that this will not be a normal situation in the best winter months. Now this situation just needs to be dealt with. We have to learn and see how we build the competition calendar in the best way, Böhm describes.
The snow situation can therefore even cause changes to the competition calendar. Böhm admits that competing in some areas can be more difficult than others. Even in the Nordic countries, it has been just as challenging at times as it is now in Central Europe. According to Böhm, the situation is not easy.
– We hope that the traditional competition locations in Central Europe will still have wintry conditions. We hope that this will not become the norm in the coming years. That’s why, in collaboration with the race organizers, we are looking for the most efficient way to manage, produce and store snow, Böhm opens.
According to Lajipomo, the impact of climate change on biathlon competitions cannot be denied. It also causes trouble for the Biathlon World Cup. In January, big headlines were made when the World Cup tracks in Germany’s Oberhof were in poor condition. The men’s sprint race had to be moved forward in the day due to warmer weather and rain.
– We want to make the best possible calendar, but climate change makes it unpredictable. It was a perfect winter before Christmas. It was never expected. Now is the warmest winter month. It’s difficult to plan a calendar, Böhm laments.
shows the Biathlon World Championships on its channels and follows the competitions in this article.