Lillehammer Olympiapark was set to host the European Biathlon Championships in Norway this winter, but that will not happen.

Lillehammer Olympiapark AS hosted a Winter Olympics once named “The greatest games ever.” They’ve also hosted the Youth Olympics, countless World Cups, and Norwegian Championships. This winter, they were supposed to organize the European Championships and IBU Cup in biathlon. But now, they’ve been dropped as hosts. The Biathlon Association won’t take the risk.

Instead, the Norwegian Biathlon Association is establishing its own event company to carry out the Championships and the IBU Cup at Sjusjøen. The decision was made at a board meeting on June 11.

“We have been considering for a while whether to establish such a company or not. Given the situation at Lillehammer Olympiapark, we recently made the decision,” says Vegar Rolfsrud, head of recruitment at the Norwegian Biathlon Association, to GD after the decision.

Fear that profits would go toward covering debt instead of supporting sports

The financial troubles of Lillehammer Olympiapark AS are the main reason the Biathlon Association is unwilling to rely on the local organizer.

What are you afraid of if Olympiaparken were to organize the event?

“We want to ensure that the resources from such an event contribute to the development of international competitions. Our goal is to further develop Sjusjøen, and we find it appropriate to do that through our own company.”

So, you’re concerned that the profits would be used to pay off debt instead of developing new events?

“We want to ensure that any leftover funds after such a championship go to biathlon and to Sjusjøen.”

The 2026 European Biathlon Championships will take place from January 27 to February 1, while the IBU Cup at Sjusjøen will be held from February 2 to 8, 2026.

Dropped from the season opener

This isn’t the first time Lillehammer Olympiapark has been sidelined. Last year, Sjusjøen had to withdraw as host of the second round of the IBU Cup.

The organizer simply couldn’t afford to host the competitions, which were scheduled to take place at Natrudstilen during the first weekend of December. That decision came just a couple of months before the race weekend, but the Biathlon Association managed to move the competitions to Geilo and thus saved the Norwegian leg of the IBU Cup.

Natrudstilen had hosted the national season opener every year since 2013. But that ended last year. After the agreement with the Norwegian Biathlon Association expired in 2024, Natrudstilen has now been dropped as a host. Instead, the Association has decided to move the national season opener to Geilo, following a unanimous board decision in December last year.

“Geilo has delivered many technically strong events, most recently with the IBU Cup in December. As a destination, Geilo is very compact, with short distances between hotels, the town center, and the biathlon stadium. This allows us to offer something different to our partners and the public at the season opener going forward,” explains Biathlon Association President Arne Horten in connection with the decision.

The contract with Geilo runs for two years, with the intention of extending it for another two years initially.

May face investigation

Lillehammer Olympiapark has been struggling financially for a long time and reportedly has a double-digit number of collection claims against it, according to GD. This is despite the fact that local politicians have provided a significant rescue package.

In May, the municipal council decided to increase the annual subsidy from Lillehammer Municipality by NOK 4.5 million to a total of NOK 20 million. But even that is not enough, and now Lillehammer Olympiapark is being forced to lay off staff.

Alongside the decision to increase funding, the municipal council also requested that the control committee carry out a broad administrative audit of the company. Lillehammer Olympiapark is 100% municipally owned, and the politicians want more answers regarding the company’s ongoing financial problems.

Lillehammer Olympiapark includes the following venues from the 1994 Winter Olympics:

• Birkebeineren Ski Stadium
• Håkons Hall
• Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena
• Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Hill
• Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track

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