The four-day Italian stage of the Biathlon World Cup ends on Sunday 22 January in Anterselva, with the women’s and men’s relay races. An appointment, this year, particularly awaited thanks to the return of the public after the closures caused by the Covid pandemic. The stands of the Südtirol Arena, in fact, had remained deserted in the last two editions of the event.
The impact of the pandemic
A considerable damage to the image, for what over time has become the main winter sports competition of the Peninsula, including alpine skiing, and above all economic. Both for the direct impact and for the induced.
Usually, around 60,000 paying spectators were registered during the four days of competitions in Anterselva, with ticketing takings close to 2 million euros. This year there should be lower but still above 50,000 attendances (also because many Germans took part in the Oberhof World Championships scheduled from 8 to 19 February).
Obviously even higher is the turnover linked to sports tourism deriving from the World Cup which attracts fans above all from Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Usually, during the four days of rehearsals it is difficult to find a free room in the whole valley, from Bressanone to San Candido. According to a study carried out, again before the pandemic, each spectator spent on average between 150 and 200 euros a day on tickets, food, accommodation and drinks.
The costs of the event
Of course, the commitment of the organizing committee, a private body that has the stadium under concession from the Municipality, a unique case on the international winter sports scene, is considerable to manage such a large influx of fans. Every year, the cost of over 10,000 euros must be borne for the shuttle service, 200,000 for the accommodation of athletes and judges, 250,000 for the preparation of the slope and the snow, 380,000 for the rental of temporary facilities, another 600,000 for the promotion, insurance and salaries of the people who work permanently on the event and to reimburse the work of the volunteers. Outlays which in any case are justified by the economic return produced by the worldwide happening of the “ski and shoot”.