Biathlon World Championships

The first Biathlon World Championships (BWCH) was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The original team event, Team (time), was held for the last time in 1965, to be replaced in 1966 by the team event, Relay (4 × 7.5 km), which we know today. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in joint Biathlon World Championships. In 1978 the development was enhanced by the change from the large army rifle calibre to a small bore rifle, while the range to the target was reduced from 150 to 50 meters.

Venues
The Biathlon World Championships of the season takes place during February or March. Some years it has been necessary to schedule parts of the Championships at other than the main venue because of weather and/or snow conditions. Full, joint Biathlon World Championships have never been held in Olympic Winter Games seasons. Biathlon World Championships in non-IOC events, however, have been held in Olympic seasons. In 2005, the then new event of Mixed Relay (two legs done by women, two legs by men) was arranged separately from the ordinary Championships.

Past Championships:


 * 1958 🇦🇹 Saalfelden, Austria
 * 1959 🇮🇹 Courmayeur, Italy
 * 1961 🇸🇪 Umeå, Sweden
 * 1962 🇫🇮 Hämeenlinna, Finland
 * 1963 🇦🇹 Seefeld, Austria
 * 1965 🇳🇴 Elverum, Norway
 * 1966 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
 * 1967 Altenberg, East Germany (first event in East Europe)
 * 1969 🇵🇱 Zakopane, Poland
 * 1970 🇸🇪 Östersund, Sweden
 * 1971 🇫🇮 Hämeenlinna, Finland
 * 1973 🇺🇸 Lake Placid, New York, United States (first event outside Europe and in the Americas)
 * 1974 Minsk, USSR
 * 1975 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
 * 1976 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy (Sprint)
 * 1977 🇳🇴 Vingrom, Norway
 * 1978 🇦🇹 Hochfilzen, Austria
 * 1979 Ruhpolding, West Germany
 * 1981 🇫🇮 Lahti, Finland
 * 1982 Minsk, USSR
 * 1983 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
 * 1984 🇫🇷 Chamonix, France (Women)
 * 1985 Ruhpolding, West Germany (Men) and 🇨🇭 Egg am Etzel (near Einsiedeln), Switzerland (Women)
 * 1986 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway (Men) and 🇸🇪 Falun, Sweden (Women)
 * 1987 🇺🇸 Lake Placid, New York, United States (Men) and 🇫🇮 Lahti, Finland (Women)
 * 1988 🇫🇷 Chamonix, France (Women)
 * 1989 🇦🇹 Feistritz an der Drau, Austria (first joint Biathlon World Championships)
 * 1990 Minsk, USSR; 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway and 🇫🇮 Kontiolahti, Finland
 * 1991 🇫🇮 Lahti, Finland
 * 1992 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, Russia (Team)
 * 1993 🇧🇬 Borovets, Bulgaria
 * 1994 🇨🇦 Canmore, Canada (Team)
 * 1995 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
 * 1996 🇩🇪 Ruhpolding, Germany
 * 1997 🇸🇰 Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia
 * 1998 🇸🇮 Pokljuka, Slovenia (Pursuit) and 🇦🇹 Hochfilzen, Austria (Team)
 * 1999 🇫🇮 Kontiolahti, Finland and 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway
 * 2000 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway and 🇫🇮 Lahti, Finland
 * 2001 🇸🇮 Pokljuka, Slovenia
 * 2002 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway (Mass start)
 * 2003 🇷🇺 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
 * 2004 🇩🇪 Oberhof, Germany
 * 2005 🇦🇹 Hochfilzen, Austria and 🇷🇺 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
 * 2006 🇸🇮 Pokljuka, Slovenia (Mixed relay)
 * 2007 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
 * 2008 🇸🇪 Östersund, Sweden
 * 2009 🇰🇷 Pyeongchang, South Korea (first event in Asia)
 * 2010 🇷🇺 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
 * 2011 🇷🇺 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
 * 2012 🇩🇪 Ruhpolding, Germany
 * 2013 🇨🇿 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic
 * 2015 🇫🇮 Kontiolahti, Finland
 * 2016 🇳🇴 Oslo, Norway
 * 2017 🇦🇹 Hochfilzen, Austria
 * 2019 🇸🇪 Östersund, Sweden
 * 2020 🇮🇹 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
 * 2021 🇸🇮 Pokljuka, Slovenia
 * 2023 🇩🇪 Oberhof, Germany
 * 2024 🇨🇿 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic

Upcoming:
 * 2025 🇨🇭 Lenzerheide, Switzerland
 * 2027 🇪🇪 Otepää, Estonia

Men
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.

Individual (20 km)
This event was first held in 1958.

Medal table

Sprint (10 km)
This event was first held in 1974.

Medal table

Pursuit (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1997.

Medal table

Mass start (15 km)
This event was first held in 1999.

Medal table

Relay (4 × 7.5 km)
This event was first held unofficially in 1965. It was a success, and replaced the team competition as an official event in 1966.

Medal table

Team (time)
This event was held from 1958 to 1965. The times of the top 3 athletes from each country in the 20 km individual were added together (in 1958 the top 4).

Medal table

Team
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 20 km. 1994–98: 10 km.

Medal table

Women
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.

Individual (15 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 10 km.

Medal table

Sprint (7.5 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 5 km.

Medal table

Pursuit (10 km)
This event was first held in 1997.

Medal table

Mass start (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1999.

Medal table

Relay (4 × 6 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988, the event was 3 × 5 km. 1989–91: 3 × 7.5 km. 1993–2001: 4 × 7.5 km. In 2003, the leg distance was set to 6 km.

Medal table

Team
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 15 km. 1994–98: 7.5 km.

Medal table

Mixed
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.

Mixed relay
This event was first held in 2005, at the Biathlon World Cup finals in Khanty-Mansiysk. In 2005–20, the women biathletes did the first two legs and the men did the following two (except 2006 when sequence was woman–man–woman–man), the women's ski legs were 6 km each while men ski legs were 7.5 km each (except 2005, 2006 and 2020 when ski legs were 6 km each for all relay members). In 2021, the starting gender became the result of a alternation: for the first time, men opened the relay and women closed it. Since then, this sequence alternates for each following edition. The distance skied became the same for all genders and depending on the one running the first leg (7.5 km if men run first, 6 km if women do), but in 2024 it became 6 km for every relay member no matter who runs first leg.

Medal table

Single mixed relay
This event was first held in 2019. Each team consists of two members - man and woman. The first of the team members runs the first and third legs (3 km each), the other team member – the second and fourth legs (3 km and 4.5 km respectively). In 2019 and 2020 the women biathletes started single mixed relay and the men biathletes finished it, in 2021 this order was reversed. Since then, this order alternates for each following edition.

Medal table

Total medals by country
Updated after the 2024 Championships.

Multiple medalists
Boldface denotes active biathletes and highest medal count among all biathletes (including these who not included in these tables) per type.