Allocation of quotas for the Olympic Games
There were many reasons, but we will focus on the key events that our team faced this year.
Our fans know that biathlon Olympic Games licenses are issued according to the places occupied by the teams in the pre-Olympic season (Nations Cup). But due to the pandemic, the IBU changed the entire selection system to the Olympic Games. If traditionally four quotas were given in team points from 1st to 20th place, two quotas from 20th to 23rd place, from 24th and further were assigned according to the “Wild Card” (personal points of athletes), then this year everyone who was below 20th position took licenses based on personal results only. There are only 12 places.
Fast forward with you and remember the 2020/21 season. Due to the pandemic, the Chinese team cannot come and participate in the KM stages, as a result of which the IBU goes to meet the team and automatically assigns 4 Wild Card quotas to China as the hosts of the Olympics. So our team has 8 free places. Fair? This is not for us to decide. Hard? Definitely.
In this regard, our girls, who took the 20th place, had the task of winning four licenses. The fight was very tense, because the team of Bulgaria and China was ahead (which had guaranteed quotas). But unfortunately, our women's team lost to the women's team of Bulgaria and could not get a full license.
Men's and women's teams are ranked by the sum of the top 12 Nations Cup results (6 sprints, 1 individual, 3 relays, 1 single mixed relay and 1 mixed relay). Also this year, the IBU takes into account the entire season - 20/21 and season 21/22 up to and including the World Cup in Ruhpolding - a total of 37 races.
The situation was complicated by a severe form of covid, which our team suffered before the start of the World Cup, and some athletes had 70% or even 80% lung damage.
Despite the number of quotas, the Kazakhstan Biathlon Union believes that our team will adequately represent our country on the world stage and create the most favorable conditions for its athletes.
