The 2024–25 Biathlon World Cup(official: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon), organised by the International Biathlon Union (IBU), is the 48th official World Cup season for men and 43rd edition for women as the highest level of international biathlon competitions.[1][2]
The highlight of the season will be the 2025 Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, whose results are not included in the World Cup standings (except for the national standings).
Johannes Thingnes Bø from Norway (men's) and Lisa Vittozzi from Italy (women's) are the reigning champions from the previous season. However, Vittozzi will be unable to defend her title, having withdrawn from the entire season due to a back injury sustained during pre-season training.[4]
For the first time since the 2003/04 season, Östersund will not host any biathlon World Cup events.
The IBU Executive Board has introduced several rule changes for the new season, based on recommendations from the Technical Committee:[5]
New starting order system: In individual and sprint events, the top 30 athletes will no longer choose their starting groups. Athletes ranked 16–30 will be assigned even starting numbers between 16 and 44, while those ranked 1–15 will start between 46 and 74. This change is designed to keep the outcome open longer, making races more exciting for spectators. The system will be trialed in November and December 2024, with flexibility for earlier starts in bad weather conditions.
Points system update: The points distribution has been revised, giving more weight to athletes finishing between 3rd and 9th place. This adjustment, requested by the Athletes Committee, aims to reward consistency in the top 10, rather than focusing too heavily on podium finishes.
U23 ranking: The U25 ranking has been lowered to U23, also at the request of the Athletes Committee.
Expanded team quotas: For the first time, the starting right for IBU Cup winners will apply to the entire national team for the first two World Cups, allowing nations like Norway and France to field seven athletes in Kontiolahti and Hochfilzen.
Additional starting quotas: Extra quota places will be awarded for the last World Cup. Nations will receive one additional spot for each athlete in the top 10 of the previous season’s IBU Cup rankings, with a maximum of two spots per nation. Additionally, the top junior athlete from the Junior World Championships will receive a personal starting place.
Selina Grotian became the first woman born in the 2000s to win a World Cup competition.
During the single mixed relay competition in Oberhof, the Finnish team claimed their first-ever victory in the history of mixed relay events.[6] Similarly, during the mixed relay event in Pokljuka, the Swiss team achieved the same milestone.[7]
By winning the short individual race in Pokljuka, Jakov Fak became the second-oldest winner in World Cup history (38 years, 4 months, and 30 days), behind only Ole Einar Bjørndalen (41 years, 10 months, and 6 days). He also recorded the second-longest gap between World Cup victories (3,644 days), trailing only Tomasz Sikora (4,049 days).[8]
^ abBiathlon World Championships are included in the World Cup calendar, but their results do not contribute to the overall World Cup standings, with the exception of the Nations Cup.