The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has abandoned supersprints. This was announced by the head of the IBU technical committee, Christophe Vassallo. The format was abandoned five years after its introduction.
Supersprints made their debut at the IBU Cup in March 2018. The start format included qualifying and the sprint on the same day. However, for five years, super sprint racing was never held at the World Cup.
And in the new season, the International Biathlon Union decided not to hold such starts.
The reason for abandoning the super sprint format is the difficulties that biathletes face during races. Moreover, biathletes have repeatedly complained that super sprint results don't reflect the real power of the athletes.
«For two or three seasons, the feedback from teams and athletes about the super sprint was more negative than positive. This is a very difficult race for the teams as it lasts all day, but the format is very short and random - the final results don't necessarily reflect the actual balance of power.
Therefore, we unanimously decided to remove it from the calendar, replacing it with a regular sprint, consistent with the requirements of the participants and the current functioning of the IBU Cup», said Vassallo.
