Biathlon: the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games begin now
While the 2024/2025 Biathlon World Cup kicks off (at last) this Saturday in Kontiolahti (Finland), a little-known issue will dominate the winter: the hunt for quotas for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina.
The basis of this qualification race is the Nations Cup ranking, which takes into account each country’s three best results in the sprint and individual events, as well as results in the various relays (including World Cup and World Championships). There is one for each gender and, at the end of the 2024/2025 season, the top twenty nations in the hierarchy will obtain four quotas for the 2026 Olympics.
There are some subtleties, however, as the countries in the top 3 will have a total of six places (with two substitutes) available for the Games in Antholz (Italy) in February 2026, while those ranked 4 to 10 will have five (with one substitute). A place in the top 3 in this season’s Nations Cup is therefore decisive.
In addition, for nations ranked outside the top 20, it will still be possible to obtain a maximum of two quotas per gender through the ranking of the IBU qualification points list. A total of twelve places per gender can be obtained using this criterion.
This total may be reduced if the host country has not obtained a single quota via the Nations Cup or only one via the IBU qualification points list… which seems unlikely for Italy. A maximum of two quotas per gender for individual competitions is guaranteed for the host country.
Key dates for qualification for Milan/Cortina 2026
- 25 November 2024: start of the qualification period / 2024/2025 season
- 1 April 2025: the IBU will inform the NOCs in writing of the qualification places allocated to them via the 2024/2025 World Cup Nations Cup.
- 29 November 2025: start of the qualification period – 2025/2026 season
- 19 January 2026: the IBU will inform the NOCs in writing of the qualification places allocated to them via the IBU qualification points list.
- 21 January 2026: confirmation from the NOCs to the IBU of the use of the qualification places allocated to them
- 22 January 2026: reallocation by the IBU of all unused places
- 26 January 2026: Deadline for entries by sport for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
The full document explaining the qualification system
- Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympics: the Olympic rings installed in Antholz
- The return of Grand-Bornand, a touch of novelty, pre-Olympic events in Antholz: discover the 2024/2025 World Cup calendar
