On November 28, the new Biathlon World Cup starts.
In Kontiolahti, men and women will compete for the first medals in the individual race, and the next day they will determine the best in the sprint.
In the same place, in Finland, biathletes will hold the second stage in a week, the program of which will include pursuit and relay races.
Throughout the offseason, the holding of the World Cup remained in question due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) still managed to agree with the local authorities of a number of countries to accept the competition.
True, the usual format of racing, which had formed over the years, had to be abandoned in order to minimize unnecessary movement of athletes between countries and the possibility of contracting an infection.
Four trails were excluded from the original calendar.
Biathletes will not perform in the Swedish Östersund, French Annecy and German Ruhpolding, without which the World Cup has not been complete lately.
Also canceled the pre-Olympic week in Beijing, in which athletes had to test the tracks of the next Olympics.
Instead, double stages will be organized in Kontiolahti, Austrian Hochfilzen, German Oberhof and Czech Nove Mesto.
It is worth noting that the last two cities will host the World Championships in 2023 and 2024 in the future.
Despite all the efforts of the organizers to calmly hold the first stage in Finland, there were some unpleasant incidents.
A few days before the races, cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in the national teams of Russia, France, Romania, Latvia and Moldova.
In the Russian team, Anton Babikov, doctors Roman Leifer and Evgeny Shutov, and masseur Valery Lashin passed positive tests.
There was a possibility that the Finnish medical authorities would quarantine the entire men's team, which would have forced it to miss the first stage of the World Cup and possibly the second.
However, after the French team escaped isolation, there was hope that Russian athletes would be allowed to start.
As a result, only Babikov and Evgeny Garanichev, who lived with him in this room, were suspended, although his tests were negative.
Babikov must comply with quarantine until December 1 and will be able to speak in a week, and Garanichev was assigned isolation until December 5, which is why he will no longer perform in Kontiolahti at all.
The new season will differ from the previous ones by the absence of a large number of sportsmen loved by fans.
Several biathletes have completed their careers, among whom Martin Fourcade stands out.
In addition to the five-time Olympic champion, Dominik Landertinger, veteran Michal Schlesingr and Krasimir Anev will also not perform.
The national teams of France and Austria have lost valuable personnel for the relay, so it will be more difficult for them to qualify for medals in this discipline.
Women will have no less losses.
Fans will no longer see Kaisu Mäkäräinen, Syunneve Sulemdal, Celia Emonje, Veronika Vitkova and a few other athletes who do not claim medals on the track.
Russian Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht was ready to perform this season, but shortly before the first starts she learned about the second pregnancy.
Her return to the sport should be expected before the next, already Olympic season.
In the absence of Fourcade, the main favorite of the men's competition automatically becomes the Norwegian Johannes Boe, who won the overall standings for the last two years.
However, at recent test starts, he every time lost to his older brother Tarja.
Beo Jr. had problems with shooting, because of which he can start unsuccessfully already in the World Cup.
The 27-year-old Norwegian should compete with the French Emilien Jacquelin, Kenten Fillon Maillet and Simon Detje, who showed themselves excellently last year.
Among the contenders for high places in the overall standings is the world champion in the sprint Alexander Loginov.
For the new season, he was preparing separately from the Russian national team and did not take part in control training, so his form remains a mystery.
But in past years, this did not prevent Loginov from successfully performing in the first stages and immediately starting to win medals.
In the women's competition, a repetition of the duel between Italian Dorothea Wierer and Norwegian Tiril Eckhoff is expected, as well as an attempt by another athlete from Norway, Martha Olsbu-Roiseland, to wedge into their struggle.
Last season, in addition to them, only German Denise Herrmann managed to win more than one personal race, when the coronavirus pandemic had already begun in the world.
The Swede Hana Eberg can also prove herself, unexpectedly becoming the owner of the Small Crystal Globe in the individual races.
What Russian girls are capable of will become clear already during the competition, but already now it can be argued that without Yurlova-Perkht it will become even more difficult to count on medals in relay races than usual.
In the new season, in addition to the traditional prizes for the victory in the general qualification and in individual disciplines, the trophy will also be played among the best young biathletes.
Athletes who will not be older than 25 on December 31st will be able to apply for the award.
During the season, the best youth will wear a blue jersey in races, which has the same honorary status as yellow and red.