October 2, 2006 – Biathlon Canada, the nation’s governing body for the two-discipline winter sport, received the good word today that its bid to host the 2009 Youth/Junior World Championships was approved by the International Biathlon Union (IBU).

The newly refurbished Canmore Nordic Centre will provide the site of the competition, which will feature the world’s top biathletes in the Youth category of 17 to 18-year-olds, as well as the world’s top Juniors, aged 19 to 20.

“It is very exciting for us to host an event that brings more international-level biathlon competition to North America, and to Canada in particular,” said Joanne Thomson, Executive Director, Biathlon Canada.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for Canada’s youth and junior athletes to compete on their home snow, especially in light of the fact that some of these young athletes could potentially be representing Canada the following year at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.”

The competition, slated to run in late January or early February of 2009, will feature approximately 275 athletes from 30 countries, along with 150-175 coaches and team staff members.

The Canmore Nordic Centre, originally constructed as the site of biathlon and cross-country ski competitions for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, last hosted the Youth/Junior World Championships in 1992.

A new-look facility will greet the world’s top youth and junior biathletes when the event makes its long awaited return in 2009. In June 2004, the provincial government of Alberta allotted $16.5 million in upgrades for the Canmore Nordic Centre, which boasts 70 km of groomed trails for advanced, intermediate and novice cross-country skiers, and an international-standard 50-metre shooting range specifically for the sport of biathlon.

“It’s great to be able to bring international biathlon competition back to the Canmore Nordic Centre,” said Thomson. “The financial commitment by the Province of Alberta to this facility has significantly increased its event-hosting capabilities for international biathlon competition, which is of great benefit to our athletes, coaches and officials as we head towards 2010.”

In recent years, Canadian biathletes have skied and shot their way to impressive top-10 finishes at the Youth/Junior World Championships. Canmore residents David Leoni and Zina Kocher both achieved top-10 results in 2000, and have since progressed to represent Canada on the senior World Cup tour and at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

Canada has shown its strength in its youth and junior programs over the past three seasons at the international level. At last year’s event, held in Presque Isle, Maine, Maxime Leboeuf, an 18-year-old native of Val Belair, Que., earned finishes of fifth, seventh and 10th in the men’s youth individual, pursuit and sprint events, respectively.

In 2005, Jean-Phillipe Leguellec, a native of Shannon, Que. and member of the 2006 Canadian Olympic Biathlon Team, followed up his gold and silver medal performances from the 2004 Youth/Junior World Championships by earning a sixth-place result in the junior men’s 15-km individual event and a podium finish as a member of Canada’s bronze medal winning entry in the team relay.

Meanwhile, Edmonton’s Jaime Robb and Quebec City native Marc-Andre Bedard both achieved a pair of top-10 showings.

In addition to hosting the 2009 Youth/Junior World Championships, Biathlon Canada will also be the host federation of the pre-Olympic World Cup in Whistler, B.C. in 2009.