| Biathlon World Championships | |
|---|---|
 Magdalena Neuner and Kaisa Mäkäräinen during the 2012 World Championships in Kontiolahti, North Karelia, Finland | |
| Status | active |
| Genre | sporting event |
| Date(s) | February–March |
| Frequency | annual |
| Location(s) | various |
| Inaugurated | 1958 |
| Organised by | IBU |
The first Biathlon World Championships (BWCH) was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in joint Biathlon World Championships. In 1978 the development was enhanced by the change from the large army rifle calibre to a small bore rifle, while the range to the target was reduced from 150 to 50 meters.[1]
VenuesEdit
The Biathlon World Championships of the season takes place during February or March. Some years it has been necessary to schedule parts of the Championships at other than the main venue because of weather and/or snow conditions. Full, joint Biathlon World Championships have never been held in Olympic Winter Games seasons. Biathlon World Championships in non-IOC events, however, have been held in Olympic seasons. In 2005, the then new event of Mixed Relay (two legs done by women, two legs by men) was arranged separately from the ordinary Championships.
Arranged Championships:
- 1958
Saalfelden, Austria - 1959
Courmayeur, Italy - 1961
Umeå, Sweden - 1962
Hämeenlinna, Finland - 1963 Seefeld, Austria
- 1965
Elverum, Norway - 1966
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany - 1967
Altenberg, East Germany (first event in East Europe) - 1969
Zakopane, Poland - 1970 Östersund, Sweden
- 1971 Hämeenlinna, Finland
- 1973
Lake Placid, New York, United States (first event outside Europe and in the Americas) - 1974
Minsk, USSR - 1975 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
- 1976 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy (Sprint)
- 1977 Vingrom, Norway
- 1978 Hochfilzen, Austria
- 1979 Ruhpolding, West Germany
- 1981 Lahti, Finland
- 1982 Minsk, USSR
- 1983 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
- 1984
Chamonix, France (Women) - 1985 Ruhpolding, West Germany (Men) and
Egg am Etzel (near Einsiedeln), Switzerland (Women) - 1986 Oslo, Norway (Men) and Falun, Sweden (Women)
- 1987 Lake Placid, New York, United States (Men) and Lahti, Finland (Women)
- 1988 Chamonix, France (Women)
- 1989 Feistritz an der Drau, Austria (first joint Biathlon World Championships)
- 1990 Minsk, USSR; Oslo, Norway and Kontiolahti, Finland
- 1991 Lahti, Finland
- 1992
Novosibirsk, Russia (Team) - 1993
Borovets, Bulgaria - 1994
Canmore, Canada (Team) - 1995 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
- 1996 Ruhpolding, Germany
- 1997
Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia - 1998
Pokljuka, Slovenia (Pursuit) and Hochfilzen, Austria (Team) - 1999 Kontiolahti, Finland and Oslo, Norway
- 2000 Oslo, Norway and Lahti, Finland
- 2001 Pokljuka, Slovenia
- 2002 Oslo, Norway (Mass start)
- 2003
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia - 2004 Oberhof, Germany
- 2005 Hochfilzen, Austria and Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
- 2006 Pokljuka, Slovenia (Mixed relay)
- 2007 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
- 2008 Östersund, Sweden
- 2009
Pyeongchang, South Korea (first event in Asia) - 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
- 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
- 2012 Ruhpolding, Germany
- 2013
Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic - 2015 Kontiolahti, Finland
- 2016 Oslo, Norway
- 2017 Hochfilzen, Austria
- 2019 Östersund, Sweden
- 2020 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
- 2021 Pokljuka, Slovenia
Upcoming:
MenEdit
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Individual (20 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1958.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Soviet Union | 10 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| 2 |  Norway | 9 | 8 | 11 | 28 |
| 3 |  Finland | 6 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
| 4 |  France | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 |  East Germany | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 |  Germany | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 7 |  Russia | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 |  Poland | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 |  Austria | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 10 |  United States | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 |  Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 12 |  Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 13 |  Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Slovenia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 |  Belarus | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Romania | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | West Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 |  Croatia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Latvia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (21 nations) | 48 | 48 | 48 | 144 | |
Sprint (10 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1974.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 10 | 10 | 8 | 28 |
| 2 | East Germany | 7 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| 3 | Germany | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | France | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 5 | Russia | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | Soviet Union | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 7 | Italy | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 8 | Finland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 |  Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| West Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 |  Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | Belarus | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Latvia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 nations) | 37 | 37 | 37 | 111 | |
Pursuit (12.5 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1997.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | Norway | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 |
| 3 | Germany | 5 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 4 | Russia | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 5 | Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Sweden | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (7 nations) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 | |
Mass start (15 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1999.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 2 | France | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 3 | Germany | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | Austria | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Slovenia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Russia | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 8 | Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (9 nations) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 57 | |
Relay (4 × 7.5 km)Edit
This event was first held unofficially in 1965. It was a success, and replaced the team competition as an official event in 1966.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 10 | 13 | 6 | 29 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 9 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| 3 | Germany | 6 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| 4 | East Germany | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | Russia | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | France | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Finland | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Belarus | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 10 | West Germany | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Poland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 14 | Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
.svg){kind=small} Russian Biathlon Union | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (16 nations) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 126 | |
Team (time)Edit
This event was held from 1958 to 1965. The times of the top 3 athletes from each country in the 20 km individual were added together (in 1958 the top 4).
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Sweden
|
Soviet Union
|
Norway
|
| 1959 | Soviet Union
|
Sweden
|
Norway
|
| 1961 | Finland
|
Soviet Union
|
Sweden
|
| 1962 | Soviet Union
|
Finland
|
Norway
|
| 1963 | Soviet Union
|
Finland
|
Norway
|
| 1965 | Norway
|
Soviet Union
|
 Poland
|
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Finland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Sweden | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Poland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 nations) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | |
TeamEdit
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 20 km. 1994–98: 10 km.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Soviet Union
|
West Germany
|
East Germany
|
| 1990 | East Germany
|
Czechoslovakia
|
France
|
| 1991 | Italy
|
Norway
|
Soviet Union
|
| 1992 |  CIS
|
Norway
|
 Estonia
|
| 1993 | Germany
|
 Russia
|
France
|
| 1994 | Italy
|
Russia
|
Germany
|
| 1995 | Norway
|
Czech Republic
|
France
|
| 1996 |  Belarus
|
Russia
|
Italy
|
| 1997 | Belarus
|
Germany
|
Poland
|
| 1998 | Norway
|
Germany
|
Russia
|
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Belarus | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Germany | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | East Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 |  CIS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Russia | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| West Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | France | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 13 | Estonia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (14 nations) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
WomenEdit
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Individual (15 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 10 km.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
| 2 | Germany | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Sweden | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | France | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Russia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 9 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | West Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  China | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | Finland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals (16 nations) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 | |
Sprint (7.5 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 5 km.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 9 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| 2 | Germany | 8 | 5 | 4 | 17 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | France | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Russia | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Ukraine | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 |  Slovakia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| West Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Sweden | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Finland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| United States | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (17 nations) | 30 | 30 | 31 | 91 | |
Pursuit (10 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1997.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| 2 | Norway | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Sweden | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | France | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Belarus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 8 | Finland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Russia | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| 10 | Poland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| China | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 | Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (14 nations) | 21 | 19 | 20 | 60 | |
Mass start (12.5 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1999.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 | Germany | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Russia | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | France | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Sweden | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 7 | Belarus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 9 | Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| United States | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Finland | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 13 | Poland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (13 nations) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 57 | |
Relay (4 × 6 km)Edit
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988, the event was 3 × 5 km. 1989–91: 3 × 7.5 km. 1993–2001: 4 × 7.5 km. In 2003, the leg distance was set to 6 km.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 10 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Norway | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
| 4 | Russia | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | France | 0 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 | Ukraine | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 8 | Sweden | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Belarus | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Finland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Italy | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| United States | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (14 nations) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 | |
TeamEdit
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 15 km. 1994–98: 7.5 km.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Soviet Union
|
Norway
|
West Germany
|
| 1990 | Soviet Union
|
West Germany
|
Bulgaria
|
| 1991 | Soviet Union
|
Bulgaria
|
Norway
|
| 1992 | Germany
|
CIS
|
Czechoslovakia
|
| 1993 | France
|
 Belarus
|
Poland
|
| 1994 | Belarus
|
Norway
|
France
|
| 1995 | Norway
|
Germany
|
France
|
| 1996 | Germany
|
Ukraine
|
France
|
| 1997 | Norway
|
Russia
|
Ukraine
|
| 1998 | Russia
|
Norway
|
Finland
|
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Norway | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Germany | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Belarus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | France | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ukraine | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| West Germany | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 10 | CIS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (13 nations) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | |
MixedEdit
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Mixed RelayEdit
This event was first held in 2005, at the Biathlon World Cup finals in Khanty-Mansiysk. In 2005–20, the women biathletes did the first two legs and the men did the following two (except 2006 when sequence was woman–man–woman–man), the women's ski legs were 6 km each while men ski legs were 7.5 km each (except 2005, 2006 and 2020 when ski legs were 6 km each for all relay members). Since 2021, the sequence became man–man–woman–woman while leg distance was set to 7.5 km for all relay members.
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 6 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 | Germany | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | France | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Russia | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals (10 nations) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 45 | |
Single Mixed RelayEdit
This event was first held in 2019. Each team consists of two members - man and woman. The first of the team members runs the first and third legs (3 km each), the other team member – the second and fourth legs (3 km and 4.5 km respectively). In 2019 and 2020 the women biathletes started single mixed relay and the men biathletes finished it, in 2021 this order was reversed.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Norway
|
Italy
|
Sweden
|
| 2020 | Norway
|
Germany
|
France
|
| 2021 | France
|
Norway
|
Sweden
|
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 |