Grand-Bornand targets France’s first biathlon World Championships

France could pursue its first staging of the biathlon World Championships after the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. The Grand-Bornand resort in Haute-Savoie is emerging as the potential venue, with the project linked to facilities that will be developed for the Olympic period.

The earliest possible editions would be in 2032 or 2033. The World Championships are already allocated through 2031, when Östersund in Sweden is due to host, while France would not be able to submit a bid to the International Biathlon Union before 2028.

Grand-Bornand already has an established place on the World Cup calendar. It will host a World Cup event in December and is scheduled to welcome the circuit again in 2028, two years before the Olympics. Those events would provide further experience ahead of any potential bid.

The resort’s existing popularity with spectators and planned Olympic infrastructure strengthen its case. Haute-Savoie department president Martial Saddier has backed the idea of holding the global championships in France soon after the Games, arguing that the Olympic facilities would leave the site equipped for another major event. The proposal remains an intention rather than an awarded competition, but it sets out a possible new stage for French biathlon.