Biathlon is moving from the mountains to the city this weekend as the inaugural Loop One Festival brings the sport’s biggest stars to Munich’s Olympic Park. Austria is sending a team of six athletes.

On Sunday, October 19, the new biathlon event will kick off the Olympic season in a unique urban setting with a Super Sprint competition open to the public and *free for fans to attend.

Also Read: Biathlon starts ready for Munich’s Loop One Festival

Superstars competing

Austria is sending six biathletes to the pre-winter season event in Germany.

“Munich is calling. This coming weekend, the @looponefestival will be on the real deal at the Munich Olympic Park. Spectacular race-action with the World’s best biathlon stars – of course, we won’t let that pass up,” says Ski Austria – Biathlon on a post on social media. 

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Super Sprint format explained

The Loop One Festival will feature the fast-paced Super Sprint, a format designed to deliver maximum action for fans in a short race.

The competition begins with qualification heats, each with 15 athletes starting together. Over three 1.8 km loops around Munich’s Olympic Lake, athletes face two shooting bouts — first prone, then standing — with no spare rounds available. Every missed shot means a 60-meter penalty loop. The top three finishers from each heat, along with the three fastest “lucky losers,” advance to the final.

The final brings together 15 athletes for five laps of the 1.8 km course, with four trips to the shooting range: prone, prone, standing, standing. As in the heats, accuracy is critical, as every missed target adds a penalty loop. The combination of short loops, high shooting pressure, and city-center atmosphere makes the Super Sprint one of the most spectator-friendly formats in biathlon.

Event program

For the complete event program and further information, please visit the official Loop One Festival website.

*According to the event’s organization, admission is free throughout the festival grounds and along the route on October 19; tickets are only required for the shooting range and grandstand areas. For further information, please visit https://www.looponefestival.com.

Austrian Team

Women

• Lisa Theresa Hauser
• Lara Wagner
• Anna Gandler

Men

• Simon Eder
• David Komatz
• Patrick Jakob

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.

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