# Biathlon World Championships 2021
The 2021 IBU Biathlon World Championships were held at Pokljuka, Slovenia, from 9 to 21 February 2021, bringing 337 competitors from 38 countries to the Rudno Polje plateau for twelve medal races[1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/) • [2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm). It was the 52nd edition of the championships and the second time Pokljuka had hosted them, after 2001[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm) • [1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/). Norway dominated the medal table, and the entire event ran under strict coronavirus controls with no spectators[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm) • [1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | 9–21 February 2021, Rudno Polje, Pokljuka plateau above Lake Bled, Slovenia[1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/) • [3](https://www.gov.si/en/news/2021-02-10-pokljuka-hosts-biathlon-world-championships/) |
| Participation | 337 competitors from 38 countries; the organizer counted 37 nations, 307 biathletes, and 661 total team members[1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/) • [4](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/) |
| Program | Twelve races over nine competition days[4](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/) |
| Leading nation | Norway: 7 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze, 14 medals in total[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm) |
| Notable champions | Sturla Holm Laegreid (20 km individual, 49:27.6) and Marketa Davidova (15 km individual, 42:27.7)[5](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-laegreid/BUtHs04NvEKPaVeg8WWlA) • [6](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-davidova/rKHK6KUHkut06dGzBfQ) |
| Television audience | More than 160 million viewers on nine key markets, a 7% increase over the 2020 championships[7](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/2021-biathlon-season-press/RREpnqchAkuxSawKmeeQbA) |
| Edition | 52nd World Championships; the series has run since 1958[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm) |
## Venue and organization
Pokljuka is a plateau above [Lake Bled](https://www.edgepedia.org/lake-bled) that has been a fixture on the biathlon calendar for decades and a regular World Cup stop; the Pokljuka biathlon center marked its 30th anniversary in the championship year[8](https://www.biathlonworld.com/venue/POK) • [1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/). At the opening ceremony, Organising Committee president Jelko Kacin called the championships the biggest winter sports challenge in Slovenia's history[3](https://www.gov.si/en/news/2021-02-10-pokljuka-hosts-biathlon-world-championships/).
The event was held without spectators; the organizer had expected about 11,000 visitors per day before the coronavirus pandemic ruled out attendance[1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/). The International Biathlon Union ran a program under the slogan "Plastic Free Pokljuka" to reduce single-use plastic products, part of its sustainability strategy for 2020 to 2030[1](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/).
## Competition program
The championships followed the standard IBU format set: sprint, pursuit, individual, mass start, and relays for men and women, plus the mixed relay and single mixed relay. In the individual races, each missed target adds a one-minute penalty to the skier's time, while in the sprint, pursuit, mass start, and relays each miss costs a 150-meter penalty loop[9](https://www.biathlonworld.com/discover-biathlon/how-it-works/competition-formats). The single mixed relay pairs one man and one woman over four legs with 75-meter penalty loops for misses[9](https://www.biathlonworld.com/discover-biathlon/how-it-works/competition-formats).
## Medal table
Norway led the standings after all twelve races, more than doubling the total of second-placed France[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm):
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 7 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| 2 | France | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Sweden | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Austria | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Germany | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Belarus, Ukraine, RBU | 0 | 0 | 1 each | 1 each |
The result extended Norway's run from the 2020 championships in Antholz, where it had also finished first with 6 gold and 11 total medals[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm). The bronze listed for "RBU" (Russian Biathlon Union) reflects the federation's neutral designation of that period[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm).
## Individual highlights
**Sturla Holm Laegreid.** The Norwegian, in what the IBU called a dream season, shot clean to win the men's 20 km individual world title in 49:27.6[5](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-laegreid/BUtHs04NvEKPaVeg8WWlA).
**Marketa Davidova.** The Czech shooter cleaned all four bouts to take the women's 15 km individual gold in 42:27.7, her first senior-level win; Norway's Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, with one penalty, took bronze 1:04 behind[6](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-davidova/rKHK6KUHkut06dGzBfQ). It was the only gold for the Czech Republic, which otherwise left Pokljuka with a single medal[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm).
**Norwegian depth.** Norway's mixed relay gold came from Marte Röiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Johannes Boe, and Sturla Laegreid[10](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/biathlon-world-championships-2021-pokljuka-schedule.htm). Eckhoff led the women's World Cup standings during the championship period[10](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/biathlon-world-championships-2021-pokljuka-schedule.htm).
## Pandemic controls
The championships took place under strict conditions to prevent the spread of [SARS-CoV-2](https://www.edgepedia.org/sars-cov-2). The IBU conducted about 3,300 tests at the event and the organizer another 2,250[4](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/). A clinical study of the 2020–2021 season recorded 3,166 tests at the Pokljuka World Championships with 13 new positive cases, a 1.25% positive rate, and no persistent positives[11](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10500065/). Across the whole season the IBU delivered all 126 planned competitions using more than 22,000 PCR tests, a traveling laboratory, and repeated events at single venues to minimize travel[7](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/2021-biathlon-season-press/RREpnqchAkuxSawKmeeQbA).
## Audience and legacy
Viewing figures rose despite the empty stands. Broadcasts reached more than 160 million viewers across nine key markets, 7% more than the 2020 championships, and events in Sweden and Norway exceeded 80% market share; in Germany the highest average audience for a single event topped five million[7](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/2021-biathlon-season-press/RREpnqchAkuxSawKmeeQbA). Broadcasts reached more than 50 European territories plus markets including the United States and China, and Slovenian broadcaster RTV Slovenija recorded a 60% increase in viewing hours over the previous year[4](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/).
The successful delivery under pandemic conditions helped Slovenia keep World Cup biathlon: the World Cup returned to Pokljuka in the first week of 2023, and the venue was scheduled to host the World Cup every two years in the following four-year cycle along with a youth world championship[8](https://www.biathlonworld.com/venue/POK) • [4](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/).
## Historical context
The [Biathlon World Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/biathlon-world-championships) have been held since 1958 and take place every year in which there are no Winter Olympics; for the first 25 years only men competed[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm). In the all-time medal table entering 2021, Germany led with 203 medals (84 gold), Norway had 208 total (76 gold), and Russia 193 (73 gold)[2](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm).
## References
1. [IBU Biathlon World Championships – Pokljuka 2021, Bled Tourist Board](https://www.bled.si/en/information/business-pages/news/2021021214204783/ibu-biathlon-world-championships-pokljuka-2021/)
2. [Pokljuka 2021: Medal Table of the Biathlon World Championships, Snow-Online Magazine](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/pokljuka-2021-medal-table-of-the-biathlon-world-championships.htm)
3. [Pokljuka hosts Biathlon World Championships, Government of Slovenia](https://www.gov.si/en/news/2021-02-10-pokljuka-hosts-biathlon-world-championships/)
4. [Vtisi po domačem svetovnem prvenstvu, Biathlon Pokljuka](https://www.biathlon-pokljuka.com/vtisi-po-domacem-svetovnem-prvenstvu/)
5. [Sturla Holm Laegreid's Dream Season Continues, Wins IBU 20 km World Championship, IBU](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-laegreid/BUtHs04NvEKPaVeg8WWlA)
6. [Marketa Davidova Wins IBU World Championship 15 km Gold, IBU](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/pokljuka-2021-individual-davidova/rKHK6KUHkut06dGzBfQ)
7. [Extraordinary 2020/2021 Biathlon Season finishes, IBU](https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/2021-biathlon-season-press/RREpnqchAkuxSawKmeeQbA)
8. [Pokljuka venue page, International Biathlon Union](https://www.biathlonworld.com/venue/POK)
9. [Competition Formats, International Biathlon Union](https://www.biathlonworld.com/discover-biathlon/how-it-works/competition-formats)
10. [Biathlon World Championships 2021 in Pokljuka: Schedule, Start Lists and Results, Snow-Online Magazine](https://www.snow-online.com/skimag/biathlon-world-championships-2021-pokljuka-schedule.htm)
11. [International biathlon season during the COVID-19 pandemic was based on frequent on-site PCR-testing protocol with rapid result management, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10500065/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Winter and ice sports › Nordic skiing and biathlon › Biathlon › Biathlon Olympics and championships › Biathlon World Championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license