Kontiolahti and Östersund are candidates to host the 2031 Biathlon World Championships
The International Biathlon Union announced on 15 June 2026 that Kontiolahti in Finland and Östersund in Sweden had officially submitted bids to host the 2031 Biathlon World Championships. This launched the final phase of the procedure in which one of the two established Scandinavian destinations will win the right to organise one of the most important competitions in winter sports. According to the IBU announcement, both venues have for years been part of the highest level of international biathlon and have experience in organising World Cup competitions and previous world championships. The final decision will not be made immediately, but after an evaluation procedure and a vote by the IBU Congress in September 2026.
This is a race between two candidates with strong sporting and organisational capital. Kontiolahti is Finland’s biathlon centre in North Karelia, while Östersund is one of Sweden’s best-known winter sports destinations and a long-standing host of major biathlon events. According to IBU data, Kontiolahti has in recent years opened the World Cup seasons in 2020, 2022 and 2024, while Östersund did so in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. This continuous presence in the World Cup calendar is cited as one of the indicators that both candidates have the infrastructure, experience and operational know-how required for a competition at the highest level.
The decision will be made at the IBU Congress in Berchtesgaden
According to the official IBU schedule, the host of the 2031 World Championships will be elected at the 17th Ordinary Congress of the International Biathlon Union, which will be held from 17 to 20 September 2026 in Berchtesgaden, Germany. In the Congress documents, the IBU stated that the deadline for candidate applications for the 2031 World Championships was 30 April 2026, while the final part of the process will include candidate presentations and voting. According to the IBU announcement of 15 June, the candidates will present themselves to the IBU Executive Board on 17 September, which will then give a recommendation to the Congress, while the vote on the host is scheduled for 18 September.
Before that, a technical and organisational review of the bids will follow. The IBU states that the Evaluation Commission will review the applications, prepare a report for the Executive Board and carry out an assessment of the candidates’ suitability. That assessment includes conditions for athletes, existing and planned infrastructure, competition logistics, the operational capability of the organisers and an on-site inspection. Such a procedure is important because the Biathlon World Championships include multiple disciplines, a large number of athletes and national teams, demanding television production, security procedures, accommodation, transport and volunteer work.
Representatives of Kontiolahti and Östersund are also taking part in the annual meeting of the IBU organising committees, which is being held on 17 and 18 June 2026 in Tartu, Estonia. According to the IBU, that meeting serves to exchange experience among organisers, review current development issues and prepare upcoming seasons. Although that gathering does not in itself decide the host for 2031, it is important for the candidates because it enables additional positioning within the circle of organisers already staging IBU competitions.
Kontiolahti relies on Finnish experience and regional support
Kontiolahti is a biathlon stadium located above Lake Höytiäinen, about 15 kilometres north of Joensuu in eastern Finland. According to the IBU description, it is an area of North Karelia marked by large lakes, rivers and pine forests, which makes it a recognisable winter and outdoor destination. The Finnish candidate already has a confirmed role in the international calendar: the IBU states that Kontiolahti will again host a BMW IBU World Cup competition from 23 to 29 November 2026, and the calendar also includes a stop from 7 to 12 December 2027.
The Finnish bid is based on cooperation between the national federation, the local club and regional institutions. According to the announcement by the Kontiolahti Biathlon organisers, the Finnish Biathlon Association and Kontiolahti Sport Club are bidding for Finland to host the 2031 World Championships in Kontiolahti. The same source states that the preparation includes the municipality of Kontiolahti, the city of Joensuu, the Regional Council of North Karelia, economic and educational institutions, tourism and development partners and the Finnish Biathlon Association. Such a structure shows that the bid is not viewed only as a sports project, but also as a regional development undertaking.
Markus Hirvonen, the regional leader of North Karelia, according to the organisers’ announcement, emphasised that the bid and the development of the stadium in Kontiolahti are an important regional priority. Jaakko Puurula, president of the Finnish Biathlon Association, in the same announcement stressed Finland’s long-standing experience in organising major events, responsibility and a strong culture of cooperation. The organisers also recall that World Cup competitions in Kontiolahti have received praise from the IBU for their organisation, which is presented in the Finnish bid as a stable foundation for the return of the World Championships.
Kontiolahti also has a relevant history of world championships. According to data cited by Kontiolahti Biathlon, Finland first hosted the Biathlon World Championships in Hämeenlinna in 1962, while Kontiolahti hosted the championships in 1999 and 2015. The same overview states that in 1990 the men’s relay world title was decided in Kontiolahti. It is also important for the Finnish bid that the Biathlon World Championships are held in February or March in non-Olympic years, so the 2031 edition would come after the 2030 Olympic cycle and represent the first major global peak of the following biathlon season.
Östersund builds its bid under the slogan “Welcome to Biathland”
The Swedish candidate Östersund is also entering the process with long experience in organising biathlon competitions. According to the IBU description, the city lies by Lake Storsjön, while Sweden’s National Biathlon Arena is located on the edge of a pine forest and about two kilometres from the city centre. The IBU states that it is a modern and compact stadium that traditionally hosts the start of the BMW IBU World Cup season. In the current IBU calendar, World Cup competitions are listed for Östersund in March 2027, then in late November and early December 2027, in November 2028 and in late November and early December 2029.
The Swedish Biathlon Federation announced that Östersund and the federation had placed the bid for the 2031 World Championships under the slogan “Welcome to Biathland”. In the announcement of 4 June 2026, the federation’s secretary general Rikard Grip stated that the Swedish application had been officially submitted and that this was an important step for Östersund, Jämtland and Swedish biathlon. According to the same source, the Swedish organisers want the championships to be more than a competition at the stadium, with the involvement of the city, the region and the wider biathlon community. The bid is presented as a project that should connect elite sport, the audience, young athletes, volunteers and the long-term development of biathlon.
The Swedish federation had already earlier, in a press release issued through TT, stated that Östersund has been a regular host of World Cup competitions and world championships since the early 2000s, with the 2008 and 2019 championships highlighted as peaks. The same press release stated that the joint decision by the municipality of Östersund and the Swedish Biathlon Federation to target the 2031 World Championships had already been made in December 2023. Sofia Domeij, president of the Swedish Biathlon Federation, described the bid at the time as a project based on inclusiveness and long-term thinking, while Niklas Daoson, chair of the municipal executive board in Östersund, emphasised sustainability, the development of the city and cooperation with the federation.
Compared with Kontiolahti, Östersund presents itself in the bid more strongly through the identity of the city as a biathlon centre. The slogan “Welcome to Biathland” connects sporting tradition, the northern landscape, the audience and the local community. According to the materials of the Swedish federation, the goal is to bring the World Championships back to the National Arena and involve the entire city in the event. At the same time, this is also a message to the IBU that the Swedish 2031 edition would rely on an existing organisational base, but also on the broader social impact of a major competition.
Why hosting in 2031 matters for biathlon
The Biathlon World Championships are one of the central competitions of the season, alongside the Olympic Games and the overall World Cup standings. In non-Olympic years, they bring together the best national teams and athletes in the fight for medals in individual races, sprint, pursuit, mass start and relay disciplines. For the host, such a competition means a multi-day international event with significant television reach, a tourism effect and long-term investments in sports infrastructure. That is precisely why, in the evaluation procedure, the IBU assesses not only the stadium and tracks, but also sustainability, logistics, services, accommodation and the organiser’s ability to respond to the needs of athletes, teams, media and spectators.
The bid for 2031 comes at a time when the schedule of major biathlon events for previous years has already largely been arranged. The IBU previously confirmed that the 2027 World Championships will be in Otepää, Estonia, the 2028 championships in Hochfilzen, Austria, and the 2029 championships in Oslo-Holmenkollen, Norway. In 2030, the programme will be marked by the Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps, so the 2031 host will take on an important role in the return of the world championships after the Olympic season. In that context, Kontiolahti and Östersund offer the IBU two northern, climatically and organisationally experienced options.
Both candidates have different advantages. Kontiolahti emphasises Finnish organisational reliability, regional partnership and the existing role of the stadium as an international competition and training centre. Östersund relies on the recognisability of the city, the national arena, a strong communication campaign and a long-standing presence at the top of the calendar. According to the IBU, both venues have already proven that they can ensure a high level of conditions for athletes, and the fact that they have regularly been awarded World Cup season openings in recent years further confirms their operational reliability.
Two proven hosts, one decision
At this stage of the process, it has not been officially confirmed which candidate has the advantage. The IBU has announced an evaluation, a report, presentations before the Executive Board and a vote by the Congress, so the final decision on the host of the 2031 Biathlon World Championships will be known only on 18 September 2026, if the announced schedule is maintained. Until then, Kontiolahti and Östersund will have to demonstrate not only sporting tradition, but also the ability to stage a modern, sustainable and logistically demanding competition.
For Finland, a successful bid would mean the return of the World Championships to Kontiolahti after 2015 and confirmation of North Karelia as one of the key biathlon centres. For Sweden, a victory by Östersund would mean the continuation of the tradition of major competitions in a city that has for years profiled itself as one of the most recognisable places in world biathlon. In both cases, the IBU will be choosing between candidates that are not merely potential organisers, but proven locations with an existing audience, infrastructure and experience in events at the highest level.
Sources:
- International Biathlon Union – official announcement on the bids by Kontiolahti and Östersund for the 2031 World Championships (link)
- International Biathlon Union – information on the 17th Ordinary IBU Congress 2026 in Berchtesgaden and the procedure deadlines (link)
- International Biathlon Union – profile of the Kontiolahti biathlon venue and data on upcoming events (link)
- International Biathlon Union – profile of the Oestersund biathlon venue and data on upcoming events (link)
- Kontiolahti Biathlon – information on the Finnish bid, organisational partnership and the history of championships in Finland (link)
- Svenska Skidskytteförbundet – announcement on the officially submitted Swedish bid for the IBU World Championships 2031 in Östersund (link)
- Svenska Skidskytteförbundet / Via TT – press release on the presentation of Östersund’s bid and the slogan “Welcome to Biathland” (link)
- International Biathlon Union – announcement on the World Cup calendar and confirmed hosts of major events through 2030 (link)