From Feb. 12-23, the biathlon world will gather amidst an idyllic alpine setting for the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Lenzerheide. It will be the first World Championships in Switzerland since 1985 – an initiative to grow the sport in the picturesque alpine nation. Heartbeat sat down with organizing committee CEO Jürg Capol to learn more about the motivation of the Swiss community to build a biathlon arena, host the world, and seek to expand the footprint of the popular winter sport.

The event will be the focal point of the season for biathletes from more than two dozen nations. Tens of thousands of spectators will arrive in the valley outside of Chur, while tens of millions will watch live broadcasts around the world.

Switzerland last played host to the Championships in 1985, when the women’s events were held in Egg im Etzel, a small community in the rolling hills of northeastern Switzerland. The concept of biathlon in the Albula Valley dates back to 2006. The vision took hold, and in 2013 a trail network and stadium debuted with a 30-point range – Switzerland’s first permanent biathlon venue!

From there, the sport escalated quickly. By 2017, the venue had its A-license from the IBU. In the 2020 season, the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships were held there. And in November, 2020, Lenzerheidi won the right to the 2025 World Championships. Its first World Cup came in December, 2023.

Capol spoke with Heartbeat on the eve of the Championships. The episode covers plans for the championships, how it is already building a legacy for biathlon, and its steps to produce a sustainable event in a valley that has limited access.

The Chur native is somewhat of a legend in winter sport. For nearly a decade, the 1994 Olympic cross country skier Capol was cross country director for the International Ski Federation. He led during a time of notable change in cross country, popularizing new formats and debuting the concept of the Tour de Ski.

Switzerland has long been a nation aligned with nordic sport. But its success in biathlon has been limited. It’s most notable athletes have been the Gasparin sisters, from over the mountain in Samedan (near St. Moritz). Selina Gasparin won silver in the 15k individual at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi – Switzerland’s only Olympic biathlon medal. 

Lenzerheide 2025 is hoping that the attention from the World Championships will jump start the sport. Already, its Biathlon 4 You program is getting youth started through laser rifles.

It’s a fascinating episode with Jürg Capol as he dives into the depths of organizing the sport’s biggest event. And he reminisces of his past visionary success with programs like the cross country Tour de Ski.