President of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) Viktor Maigurov spoke about the possible holding of biathlon races in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as about the expectations from the upcoming Belarusian stage of the Commonwealth Cup.

The Commonwealth Cup stage in Raubichi will be held on September 15–18.

— What do you expect from the forthcoming stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Belarus?

— We work closely with our Belarusian colleagues. They came to Sochi and appreciated the organization of the competition. I have no doubt that in Raubichi everything will also be at the highest level. Belarusians have an excellent sports facility both for training and for competitions, in terms of watchability, everything should be at the highest level. Just today, there is a working group of the RRF headed by Alexander Pak.

To some extent, the Commonwealth Cup will be a substitute for the international calendar for us. Taking into account the Cup and the Russian Championship, the calendar of our leaders will probably be even more eventful than with the World Cup. We have great expectations from the stage in Ryazan, which will take place before the New Year. We assume that a large number of fans will visit it, because the city is not far from Moscow, it is convenient to get there.

– In Ryazan, there seems to be a small capacity of stands for competitions of this level …

– There are no permanent stands as such, we plan to build temporary spectator seats for about 5,000 people. Most of the places are on the shooting range, a small part is on the track, as they do in Europe, with video screens so that you can follow the shooting. There will be food stations, good sound – everything you need for a great sports festival.

— Were there any plans to make a Christmas race in the center of Moscow or St. Petersburg, for example?

— There are no specific plans, but we have experience in holding city races. I cannot say that we will do it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The format is definitely interesting. We need to think about the athletes so that they feel comfortable both in terms of logistics and the number of competitions. And, of course, one cannot but take into account the interest and capabilities of our TV partners. But in general, everything is possible,” Maygurov said. RIA Novosti Sport.

In Raubichi, in addition to September, two more stages of the Commonwealth Cup will be held in January 2023 (fourth and fifth). The third stage will take place in Ryazan in December, and the last, sixth, in March in Tyumen.