Biathlon: Five German women instead of six at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina
By finishing last season in third place in the final overall ranking of the Biathlon Nations Cup, the German women have secured the maximum number of quotas for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina.
As a result, the German staff will be able to select six biathletes for the quadrennial showpiece organised at the Antholz stadium (Italy). However, this will not be the case, as only five elements will feature on the list drawn up by the German staff in a few weeks’ time.
Firstly, it’s a question of geographical location, as the journey to Antholz is relatively short,” explains Felix Bitterling, the director of the German biathlon teams, in the columns of Chiemgau24.de. If we needed a replacement, she could be here within a few hours. What’s more, we only have four bib numbers available per race, so the likelihood of the sixth being called up is pretty slim anyway.
“We want to shine at the Olympic Games. That’s our main objective.
Another reason is that the 2026 Olympics will be unlike any other for the biathletes, as there will be no Olympic village as such. ” Our accommodation will be in a guest house in Antholz,” explains the German biathlon boss, implying that this makes it easier to make this kind of adjustment.
“If an athlete trains solely and has no competitive perspective, it detracts from the concentration of those who are fully invested in the races. We’ve often done this at the world championships and it’s worked well for us. […] We want to shine at the Olympic Games. That’s our main objective,” concludes Felix Bitterling.
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