The next TEST EVENT for the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, at the Pragelato Rua Biathlon Center.
It is the 1st “Fiocchi” Italian Cup Pragelato (TO), a type of race combining SPRINT and PURSUIT, organised by the amateur sports association SCI NORDICO PRAGELATO, with the approval of the F.I.S.I., the patronage of the Piemonte Region, the Metropolitan City of Torino and the Mountain Union of the Olympic Municipalities, and under the aegis of the Municipality of Pragelato.
The competition includes both male and female categories, with individual prizes awarded by the Organizing Committee to the top six athletes. The men’s Sprint races will begin on Saturday, December 14, at 9:30 AM, followed by the women’s events at 12:10 PM. For the Pursuit races, the men will start on Sunday at 9:30 AM, while the women will start at 1:40 PM. Award ceremonies will take place on Saturday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM at Casa Pragelato.
‘The upcoming competitive events in December not only represent competitions of great sporting importance, but also constitute a fundamental test for the tracks and organisation in view of the 2025 World Winter Games,’ commented the Mayor of Pragelato, Engineer Massimo Marchisio. ’It will also be a unique opportunity to experience a preview of the atmosphere that Pragelato will offer visitors and athletes from all over the world in January 2025. We are waiting for you to share with us this exciting journey towards an extraordinary event!’
‘The Pragelato site being reborn today for the Torino 2025 FISU Games is an objective testimony of how this event will leave a concrete and lasting legacy for the host municipalities and the entire territory,’ said the President of the Organising Committee Alessandro Ciro Sciretti, ’namely the renovation of sports facilities and urban infrastructure that will be used for long-term sports and cultural activities, especially by young people and students. In addition, the Games will be a platform of international scope to improve the image of our municipalities globally, showcasing organisational skills, culture and hospitality, attracting foreign investment and fostering international collaboration in academia and sport.’
Biathlon has been part of the winter programme of the World University Games since the 1983 Universiade in Sofia (Bulgaria), and this sport, with its training difficulties, excitement and fascination, always guarantees a spectacular show.
At the Torino 2025 FISU Games, the shooting range will breathe new life into the Pragelato Rua sports complex, where ski jumping events were held during the 2006 Winter Olympics. Here, under the towering ski jumps that stand as a silent reminder of the past, a modern biathlon training center will be established. This venue will celebrate its first major success with the 2025 FISU Games. Athletes from 20 nations will compete in the biathlon events.
In the past, notable champions have left their mark on this sport, including FISU Director Milan Augustin and Ubaldo Prucker, Sports Director of the Organizing Committee, both of whom boast long and successful careers in biathlon.
#ABOUT BIATHLON
Biathlon is a winter sport that combines two very different disciplines: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is an Olympic discipline particularly popular in Nordic countries, Germany, Russia, and other nations with strong winter sports traditions.
Athletes ski on snow-covered circuits using cross-country techniques. The distances vary depending on the type of competition (individual, sprint, relay, etc.). During the shooting segments, athletes must stop at designated points and shoot a small-caliber rifle at targets 50 meters away. The targets can be prone (4.5 cm diameter) or standing (11.5 cm diameter).
Biathlon requires a unique combination of physical endurance, precision, and stress management, as athletes must quickly transition from the intense effort of skiing to the calm and concentration needed for accurate shooting.
Tickets to watch the BIATHLON events at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games are free of charge, but reservation is required via Viva Ticket at this link:
https://wugtorino2025.vivaticket.it/it/tour/biathlon/3918
