The International Biathlon Union has communicated on the race for quotas for the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games Thursday. In the men's competition, France, Norway, and Sweden will be able to select six athletes, including two alternates, in 2026. In the women's competition, France, Sweden, and Germany will have this privileged position.
Other nations in the world's top 20 will line up five athletes including one substitute, or four athletes without a substitute. Europe takes the lion's share : in the men's race, the United States and Canada prevented a clean sweep, while in the women's race, the Americans were the only ones putting up any resistance.
24 other quotas (12 men, 12 women) will be put into play at the start of winter for biathletes who represent nations outside the world's top 20. Furthermore, the IBU states that " the regulation does not provide no provision for the participation of neutral athletes ", thus closing the door to Russians and Belarusians.
