Norwegian biathlete Tiril Eckhoff won a large crystal globe.
Anders Wiklund, ČTK / AP
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There can be no doubt about absolute domination. Johannes Thingnes Boe and Tiril Eckoff dominated the overall standings. Four of the top five positions in the men’s final standings belonged to competitors from Norway, with women from this country occupying the first two positions.
In recent years, a similar dominance of Norwegians has captivated cross-country skiing, which, however, has had a negative effect on the interest in this sport among viewers from other countries, as well as on the attractiveness of broadcasting rights.
Nor Johannes Thingnes Boe with a trophy for the overall championship in the World Cup.
Anders Wiklund, ČTK / AP
“I have long been critical of the Norwegians’ dominance in classic skiing. And now a similar thing is happening in biathlon. Economic inequality in the long run kills both classic skiing and biathlon, “notes Jacob Lund, a former longtime sponsor of the Norwegian financial group DNB, which supports winter sports, in the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.
He came across the fact that Norwegians, compared to the competition, have huge financial resources that they can invest in implementation teams, materials, waxes and other things.
According to Lund, biathlon is now in danger of a significant economic decline, which should manifest itself when negotiations on broadcasting rights take place again. It is said that the situation is not conducive to the fact that, in his opinion, large nations such as Germany and Russia are experiencing a decline in glory.
| The final ranking of the men’s biathlon World Cup 2020/21 |
| 1. J. Boe (Norway) 1052 |
| 2. Lägreid (Norway) 1039 |
| 3. Fillon Maillet (Francie) 930 |
| 4. T. Boe (Norway) 893 |
| 5. Dale (Norway) 843 |
“Unless this sport is more exciting and exciting, I think we will have a problem keeping biathlon on major TV channels. In Germany, there was good television viewing over the past winter, but with the declining performance of their competitors, it is only a matter of time before interest begins to wane there, “Lund analyzes the situation.
“Television viewers are interested in biathlon in Austria and Switzerland. So there is only a certain enthusiasm in the Czech Republic thanks to the World Cup races in Nové Město, “the sponsorship expert continues.
| Final ranking of the women’s biathlon World Cup 2020/21 |
| 1. Eckhoff (Norway) 1152 |
| 2. Röiseland (Norway) 963 |
| 3. Preuss (Germany) 840 |
| 4. H. Öberg (Sweden) 826 |
| 5. Wierer (Italy) 821 |
According to him, the success of Norwegian competitors is respectable, but in short, there are too many Norwegian flags in the leaderboards for the international attractiveness of the sport.
However, the manager of the Norwegian Biathlon Association Per-Arne Botnan completely disagrees with Lund. According to him, Norwegian dominance is not so clear-cut.
German biathlete Peiffer has ended his career, he is no longer going to Sweden
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“This can happen once in a while, but similar successes come in waves. We have the best season in history, but that does not mean that it will happen again and again. So I’m not afraid of the decline of interest in biathlon. Even though we have been doing very well for the last two years, you have to look back a few years to claim that this is a trend, “Botnan said.
“It is important that Central European states, especially Germany, are at the forefront. When you look at sponsorship and advertising in biathlon, there are a lot of strong German players involved, “he adds.
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