Biathlon-Wierer calls for Italian TV to back biathlon after Vittozzi's glorious gold
ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 15 : Italy's Dorothea Wierer has called on Italian broadcasters to take the sport of biathlon seriously after Lisa Vittozzi claimed a sensational gold medal in Sunday's women's 10km pursuit race at the Milano Cortina Games.
The gold was Italy's first in the sport, which is hugely popular in the Anterselva region in the north of the country where the Olympic competitions are taking place, but Wierer worries that Vittozzi's win will be a flash in the pan unless Italian television viewers can see biathlon more often.
“I think this is such a beautiful sport and still doesn’t get the attention it deserves in Italy. Sadly, after the Olympics, not all the TV channels will keep showing biathlon," she told reporters.
"It is about time that our public channels start doing it, since in many other countries this is the case and I cannot see the reason why it doesn’t happen in Italy.”
Italian fans can see races on a streaming platform and some, such as the Olympics, are shown on free-to-air television, but most of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup races shown require a subscription, limiting the reach of the sport.
The 35-year-old Wierer, winner of a silver medal in the mixed relay at Milano Cortina, has picked up bronze medals in Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing to cement her legacy as one of the country's greatest-ever biathletes, and she is set to retire at the end of the Games.
Though she would love to sign off with an Olympic gold of her own, the chances are fading fast.
She finished ninth in Sunday's pursuit but was still in high spirits on Sunday after Vittozzi's gold, offering to teach Norwegian silver medallist, 22-year-old Maren Kirkeeide, how to open bottles of champagne to celebrate wins, saying she had collected plenty in her glittering biathlon career.
“I know that I have done a lot for this sport but I hope that the new generation will continue to do their part, because it’s not only about the results but also the visibility one gives," she said, adding that Sunday had been special, regardless of her own result.
"It is really beautiful to hear the Italian national anthem being played in this stadium, and to see so many fans in the stands singing it. It really was a great feeling."
