12.IX.2015
The Legends' Race

Thousands of fans gathered to applaud and encourage some of their all-time favorite athletes. While members of the media stretched out their arms with microphones to get interviews from the competitors, fans held up cameras and phones and asked for selfies… 

Sounds like a dream for a retired athlete, whose moment of glory has past? Absolutely not! This is just one of the magical features of a new international festival of summer biathlon that is hoped to become an annual tradition in Belarus. 

THIS is the «The Legends’ Race» – a festival where the main stars may no longer actively compete in Biathlon but will forever remain legends in the sports world. For one magical day of the year, the clock is turned backwards, and athletes and fans alike are able to go back in time and bask in the memories and glory of Biathlon past.

When
September 12, 2015

Where
The race was held at the Olympic sports complex, 20 km from Minsk. At the time of the event, the complex had hosted four World Cup Biathlons and two European Championships. The complex recently received a full renovation and was awarded the privilege of hosting the Junior World Championships in 2015.

Participants
A total of 20 biathletes (10 women and 10 men) participated in the event. It was a group of elite former athletes who climbed up the highest step of Olympic podium twenty times! 

Geography of participants
«The Legends’ Race» welcomed representatives from Germany, Norway, France, Austria, Sweden, Bulgaria, Russia, and Belarus.

Format
Super sprint;

Autograph session;

Mixed relay based on the results of the super sprint; 

Flower ceremony;

Winners press conference.

Activities
Kids outdoor playground, musical jam session, street food vendors, souvenir shops, and special areas promoting our partners’ services & goods.

Attendance
Around 10,000 to 12,000 people attended the race. Those who could not attend were able to watch a national broadcast on television. 

Goal
«The Legends’ Race» project was launched to promote biathlon, increase participation and spectatorship, and develop new formats of the competition. It also served as an opportunity to pay tribute to the legends of biathlon and gave fans the opportunity to meet-and-greet biathlon heroes of the past. It is also hoped that events like this will help turn the Olympic sports complex into an attractive modern-day venue for hosting international biathlon competitions. 

Fundraising
All proceeds raised from ticket sales were donated the build Children’s Hospice in the Minsk region.