Olympic silver medalist Anton Smolski told that the decision to hold a commercial tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk would not only preserve biathlon in Russia and Belarus, but also develop it.
The first stage of the International Club Biathlon League will take place in Khanty-Mansiysk on November 18-19. The prize pool of the new tournament could amount to 8 million rubles.
“When I heard about this tournament, I immediately thought: “Our leaders have finally made a serious and necessary decision to create something of their own in parallel with the IBU.” Of course, few countries will participate in our tournament, but it continues to acquire an international flavor. And this cannot but rejoice. As an athlete, this is really interesting for me. The competition itself will be the subject of great attention , because fans will want to watch the Chinese team. I hope that in the future, as many countries as possible can participate in this tournament. Today we have a serious competition, but when it is more high, the level of athletes also increases. This approach of our leaders is aimed not only at preserving biathlon in Russia and Belarus, but also at its development.
It’s great that there are good cash prizes. If we talk about physical fitness, in mid-November athletes have different levels: even top athletes at this time may not be ready for victories because they are not yet physically ready. I probably won’t be able to run 100% either, but I’ll definitely give it everything I have. If you reach full fitness in November, it will be difficult to compete in January or February, but I predict the atmosphere will be at the level of the Commonwealth Cup, Russian Cup and maybe even more,” said Smolsky at .
Russian and Belarusian biathletes have been suspended from competitions under the auspices of the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
Source : MatchTV
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