But now, the 59-year-old Swiss is facing a new and exciting challenge: leading the first-ever Biathlon World Championships in the Alpine country.

We meet Jürg Capol at the World Championship stadium in Lenzerheide, a plateau in eastern Switzerland that has previously hosted World Cup events for both mountain biking and alpine skiing. Tennis star Roger Federer has a home here, and the beautiful plateau, at just under 1,500 meters in elevation, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

“But biathlon is a sport with little tradition here,” says Jürg Capol, who switched from FIS to biathlon when Lenzerheide began planning for major biathlon events.

“Much of the credit for this goes to Michael Hartweg, the father of national team athlete Niklas Hartweg. He is a wealthy man who has funded most of the stadium construction here.”

Read more: IBU Cup: Biathlon calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season 

Finally, hope for World Championship medals

Capol also reveals that Hartweg had a plan that sounded quite ambitious to the Swiss. First, they organized the Junior World Championships three years ago, the European Championships nearly two years ago. Last winter, the first Biathlon World Cup races in Switzerland were held here, and soon the gates will open for the World Championships on February 12.

“Interest in biathlon has never been very high in Switzerland, and we’ve never won a World Championship medal. So, we were surprised to see full stands here for the World Cup last season,” says Capol.

The recent progress has raised hopes for both medals and full stands. Already, many tickets have been sold, and with a few more victories from Lena Häcki-Gross last winter and Niklas Hartweg’s U25 Cup title the year before, the host country’s hopes are justified.

Spectators must take the bus

“Spectators will need to travel by bus from Chur or Thusis up to Lenzerheide. Additionally, with a competition ticket, train travel in Switzerland is free.”

Capol is well aware that the area is rather small. Parking is so limited that it necessitates bus transport for attendees.

“We must also remember that the World Championship takes place in peak tourist season, so many hotels are already fully booked with ‘regular’ tourists.”

When we visit Lenzerheide, snowmaking has already started, and within a few days, the first artificial snow track will open. The stands are set up with the help of military labor, and Capol emphasizes that preparations are on schedule. Roland Arena in Lenzerheide will be able to accommodate 7,500 spectators during the World Championships.

Visit the website for more information

Olympian himself

And this always-smiling organizer knows what he’s talking about, having been an Olympic cross-country skier himself in Calgary in 1988 and in Lillehammer in 1994. He is best known for coming up with the idea for the Tour de Ski along with Vegard Ulvang. The idea was born during a sauna visit at Ulvang’s in Maridalen, and the very first Tour stage took place on a warm New Year’s Eve in 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Munich.

Jürg Capol continued to develop the Tour de Ski in his role as race director for FIS, later becoming the marketing director for the international ski federation before taking on his new role as the head of the Biathlon World Championship in Lenzerheide 2025.

Read more: Early Cross-Country Ski Season Kicks Off