Biathlon bids made in Korea a threat Asian country’s entry into sport imperils Maine venues’ hosting hopes

PRESQUE ISLE – Officials at the U.S. Biathlon Association and the Maine Winter Sports Center were, at one point, hopeful that they could host another World Cup biathlon event in 2007, three years after they successfully staged the World Cup at Fort Kent’s 10th Mountain Center.

But one country – one vote, really – changed all of that. The International Biathlon Union recently decided to stage the 2009 world championships in Korea and with two mandatory World Cup stops prior to the world championships now in Asia, northern Maine will now have to wait until 2009 with the possibility of a stop in 2008.

Part of the challenge that now faces USBA and Maine Winter Sports Center officials is convincing the IBU that North America represents strongest potential for the growth of biathlon and also provides a strong television market – a huge consideration considering the popularity of the skiing and shooting sport in Europe.

“The size of our market, the interest in biathlon in the U.S., the power of our economy, all represent a diversification of revenues for the IBU that it doesn’t have right now,” MWSC president Andy Shepard said. “Frankly, our point is that the strength of Korea’s economy does not compare to the opportunities presented by the strength of the U.S. economy.”

Korea’s bid to host the 2009 world championships beat out Russia by one vote at a recent IBU meeting, according to USBA marketing director Max Cobb. At that same meeting, the sport’s governing body did vote to put a World Cup stop in Fort Kent for the 2009 season.

Korea is now, in a sense, a threat to U.S. sites like Fort Kent, Presque Isle (a possible future World Cup site), and Lake Placid, N.Y., which has staged previous World Cups and world championships.

“Part of our issue is that Korea represents an unwelcome challenge, an unwelcome competitor to us,” Shepard said.

There are nine World Cup stops every year. Most of those are held at the traditional European venues that draw huge crowds and are part of the culture of biathlon.

Four sites – Oberhof and Ruhpolding in Germany, Holmenkollen, Norway, and Antholz, Italy – are considered among the “A list” of World Cup sites. Other key countries include Sweden, Austria, Finland and Norway.

Places like Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Lake Placid, and some Central European sites are next on the list.

“We compete for what’s left. Then you add a whole new continent into that, not just a new venue …,” Shepard said. “Two continents are better than three, and if there are only going to be two we’d prefer North America would be one of those.”

Cobb said the IBU’s marketing firm has “strongly encouraged” the IBU executive board to stage more World Cup events in the U.S. because of the diversity of the market.

The television situation also works out better for European TV in the U.S., Cobb said, than in Asia. Morning events can be broadcast from Aroostook County and be shown live or same-day taped during primetime in Germany, which is six hours ahead of Maine. Morning events in Korea happen in the middle of the night in Europe.

According to Cobb, three of the top-10 most viewed biathlon events on German television last year took place in the U.S., including two in Fort Kent. Biathlon is the highest-rated winter sport shown on TV in Germany.

“It’s very challenging to find a good time slot for the athletes to compete in Asia and for the spectators to watch,” he said. “So for that reason we’re in a better position to do that.”

The European Broadcasting Union has written to the IBU executive board recommending more competitions in the U.S., Cobb added.

The EBU and IBU are currently operating under a contract that was signed in 1990 and expires next year. The two organizations inked a four-year extension at the end of May.

The new IBU-EBU contract includes 36 World Cups with more than 200 competitions and three world championships taking place during the period.

Germany alone has two national networks that broadcast biathlon, which is the highest-rated winter sport on TV in Europe and regularly draws a 30-share in Germany, which is Europe’s largest TV market.

Last winter the Outdoor Life Network aired World Cup biathlon action for the third year in a row. According to OLN, more than 1.7 million viewers watched OLN’s biathlon coverage in 2004, making it the highest-rated series in its slot on the network.

TV is key for World Cups in Aroostook County, Shepard said, because the exposure Maine is important for drawing tourism.

“With biathlon comes worldwide TV. If we want these facilities to serve as an economic engine for northern Maine we have to have some way for people to know that it exists,” Shepard said. “We need to hold World Cup biathlon events where the whole world sees [Maine] on TV and is really impressed. That’s what happened with Fort Kent in 2004.”

The IBU seems to recognize the importance of the U.S. connection to biathlon. Vodicar said the U.S. links to biathlon include the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, where biathlon was included in the program, and Josh Thompson’s silver medal at the 1987 world championships in Lake Placid.

“In my point of view the United States … is part of the biathlon world,” he said. “And they need to have events every year or every second year. … You are part of this union.”