The Belgian Biathlon Federation announced on Wednesday its selection of twelve athletes, comprising six men and six women for this year's biathlon season.
The new season begins this weekend in Geilo, Norway, with a sprint event on Saturday and a mass start on Sunday.
The opening weekend will determine which biathletes earn spots for the first World Cup round in Östersund, Sweden, scheduled from 29 November to 7 December.
Belgium's men’s team consists of Florent Claude, Thierry Langer, Marek Mackels, César Beauvais, Julien Petitjacques, and Sam Parmentier.
Claude and Langer have already qualified for the World Cup, while the remaining four will compete in Saturday’s sprint for the two remaining slots, according to the federation.
On the women’s side, Lotte Lie, Maya Cloetens, Eve Bouvard, and Marisa Emonts have secured their World Cup tickets. They will be joined in Geilo by Marine Debloem and Lea Gross, who, along with Rieke De Maeyer, will subsequently compete in the IBU Cup, the sport’s second-tier tournament.
Belgium earned a quota of eight World Cup spots—four for men and four for women—thanks to its team's rankings last season, when it placed 13th among the men and 17th among the women.
These spots also guarantee the same number of tickets to next year’s Olympics in Milan-Cortina (6-22 February), where Belgium will contest the men’s, women’s, and mixed relays.
