Race of the Biathlon World Cup – mixed pairs, March 5, 2023 Nové Město na Moravě, Žďársko. President of the Czech Biathlon Union Jiří Hamza at the official end of the races.
Nové Město na Moravě (Žďársko) – The President of the Czech Biathlon Union, Jiří Hamza, believes that the World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě was a good rehearsal before the World Championships, which will be held in the Vysočina Arena next year. In four days, 86,000 fans came, the atmosphere was also praised by world stars led by the leader of the series, Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö. By next February, Hamza wants to complete the reconstruction of the premises and fine-tune the gaps in logistics. He told reporters that he plans to sell tickets from April 1.
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Photo gallery: Biathlon SP in Nové Město
“We have a lot of reserves in some areas, but I have to thank all the people in the organization team. Except for some details, everything is working. I think we are on the right track. I hope we can finish everything and we will make a holiday out of it. I have to thank the great viewers as well,” said Hamza.
The seventh event of this year's World Cup was accompanied by a stormy backdrop every day. Thursday's men's sprint was visited by 15,800 fans, a day later 19,600 people arrived at the women's sprint. Saturday's pursuit races and the additional presentation of bronze medals to the members of the relay team from the Sochi Olympics were watched by 27,100 fans, and 23,500 spectators came to today's mixed relay races. Johannes Thingnes Bö wrote about the atmosphere on Instagram: “It's the best here.”
“Ole Einar Björndalen, who works here as a TV expert, said again that it's hell here. We were all afraid of how it would react after covid. I was a little afraid that people would react to it, combined with the fact that the results are not exactly top , they didn't grudge. But I take away from here that Czech people love biathlon and it doesn't matter in what form and for what results. That is the greatest reward for all of us,” said Hamza.
Until next year, the complex in Nové Město na Morava will undergo a series of modifications. After reconstruction, the grandstands should hold up to 17,000 people, additional capacities will be available at the track. “We want to be prepared to have the area ready for the next fifteen years for major world events. Not only in biathlon, but also in mountain biking or cross-country skiing. We will be prepared so that it will be world-class,” Hamza declared.
Grandstand D will be completed, facilities for athletes, lubrication cells and storage facilities will be expanded. Data distribution and lighting will be improved. “The time is such that we have to make these investments. We want to prepare the area and we want to follow the trend of sustainability. We don't want to endlessly load hundreds of trucks of material and take it away again after the races. It will be a huge saving in the costs of organizing events for us in the future,” he said Hamza.
Tickets for the World Cup should go on sale from April 1. The head of the Czech Biathlon Union established the principle that the price should not exceed one thousand crowns. “Combined with the weekend days, it may be a bigger number, but we will move in price level only slightly above the World Cup. It is more important for us to have people here than to collect the entrance fee from half and in the final the economic effect would be completely the same. It will be accessible to everyone, and we want to continue promoting it towards schools as well. During the week, tickets will definitely be significantly cheaper than at the weekend,” said Hamza.
The budget of the event is around 260 million crowns, the championship has support from the Vysočina region and an approved subsidy from the government. “We are definitely breathing much easier than ten years ago,” Hamza recalled the last home championship in 2013.
