Kontiolahti biathlon stadium
| Biathlon Stadium Kontiolahti ( Kontiolahden ampumahiihtokeskus ) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
 During the 2014 World Cup |
|||
| Data | |||
| place |
 Kontiolahti
|
||
| owner | Kontiolahti municipality | ||
| operator | Sportclub Kontiolahti ( Kontiolahden Urheilijat ) |
||
| modification | 2011-2014 | ||
| Spectator seats | Stadium 15,000, 6,000 route |
||
| Events | |||
|
|||
Coordinates: 62 ° 43 ′ 15 " N , 29 ° 48 ′ 56.4" E
The Biathlon Stadium Kontiolahti ( Finnish Kontiolahden ampumahiihtokeskus , also Stadium Kontiolahti ) is a training and competition venue for biathlon and cross-country skiing in Finland. It is currently the only stadium in Finland that has the necessary license to host races as part of the Biathlon World Cup .
Data
location
The stadium is located in the North Karelia region , approximately 20 km north of the Joensuu administrative center in the Kontiolahti municipality . The stadium and cross-country trails border the Höytiäinensee . The stadium is at a height of 120 m , the lowest point of the trails is 88 m and the highest point is 128 m .
Furnishing
The stadium has an A license , which is required to hold biathlon world cups and world championships.
The main building covers an area of 809 m² and offers space for the organizing committee as well as official IBU staff and the race management. The media center has a floor area of 599 m², there is also an additional television center with a further 200 m² and 3000 m² of space for the TV team's technology. There are 21 separate and ventilated wax cabins on site with changing rooms and a sauna. The capacity of the wax booths can be expanded during major events by installing special containers. The shooting range offers 30 lanes suitable for the World Cup, which with 1000 lux can also be used in the dark. The floodlight system installed in 2012 also enables races to be held at dusk or in the dark.
During the biathlon events , spectators can get food and drinks in the Event Park , where there are also games and leisure activities that are tailored to the needs of children, among other things.
At the 2015 Biathlon World Championships, the stadium had 15,000 standing and seating spaces, as well as wheelchair-accessible grandstands near the shooting range and a further 6,000 standing spaces directly on the track.
Cross-country cooling
A special feature are the cooled cross-country trails, the temperature of which can be artificially lowered. This enables a longer use of an artificial snow cover and also guarantees a higher level of snow security. The system has been in operation since October 1st, 2004 and is always put into operation at the beginning of October. In addition to freshly produced artificial snow, snow from the previous year is also used, several thousand cubic meters of which are stored in a snow depot over the summer and of which around 60% is still available in autumn. The routes can be used free of charge by recreational athletes and professionals outside of the fixed training times.
modification
Between 2011 and 2014, a total of 3.7 million euros were invested in the infrastructure for the 2015 Biathlon World Championships . The main and media center was expanded, the lighting system and the technology of the shooting range were renewed, the floodlight system was built, a sauna was connected to the wax and changing rooms and the outdoor facilities were revised.
route
The Wall
Most testers stretch of trails (the "Kontiolahti Wall" or even "The Wall" Engl. For "The Wall"), one of the steepest hills in the Biathlon World Cup, roughly halfway between the shooting and the finish line. Especially on the last lap, this tough ascent demands everything from the athletes. However, many of the good cross-country skiers among the biathletes can make up a lot of time on sections like these.
Trivia
After her first race in Kontiolahti in the 2016/17 season , the German biathlete Maren Hammerschmidt said goodbye to the track and especially to “The Wall” with the words “Bye, bye, nasty mountain”.
Events
biathlon
The first biathlon world cup was held in 1990. Other World Cup races followed in 1993, 1997, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2017. Up until 2007, World Cup races were also held in Lahti in Finland .
The first biathlon world championships in Kontiolahti took place in 1999 . It was the first world championships where mass start races were held. During the World Championships, the temperatures in the Kontiolahti area were so low that many competitions had to be postponed. The German team therefore relocated several training sessions to the ski tunnel in Vuokatti, about 200 km away, during the title fights . The single and mass start races were canceled, and shortly thereafter as part of the World Cup in Norway Oslo at Holmenkollen discharged.
The 2015 Biathlon World Championships were held later in the year so that competitions would not have to be postponed or even canceled because of the cold. In 2015 all competitions could be held regularly.
In addition to biathlon world cups and world championships, many other competitions are held in Kontiolahti, such as B. races within the framework of the IBU Cup , the Biathlon European Championships in 1994 and 2002, the Biathlon Junior World Championships in 1996, 2005 and 2012 , cross-country and roller- ski competitions or summer biathlon competitions .
Training center
The biathlon stadium in Kontiolahti also serves as a training facility for top Finnish athletes such as Kaisa Mäkäräinen , Mari Laukkanen or Laura Toivanen and also for regional sports clubs and young athletes throughout the year .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Development Plan (English) ( Memento of the original March 13, 2017 Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at kontiolahtibiathlon.com, accessed March 5, 2017
- ↑ Kontiolahti Wall on biathlon23.wordpress.com, accessed June 10, 2017
- ↑ Maren Hammerschmidt on instagram.com, accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ Kontiolahti Stadium, hosted top class events on kontiolahtibiathlon.com, accessed March 5, 2017
- ↑ Icy memories: World Cup 1999 turns into a cold fiasco. Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 3, 2015, accessed on August 27, 2020 .
Web links
- www.kontiolahtibiathlon.com , website of the stadium and the biathlon events (Finnish, English, Russian)
- www.biathlon-kontiolahti.fi , website of the biathlon events (Finnish)