Vittozzi and Perrot, the Loop One Festival champions are the first major names announced for the 17–18 October event

It is now official: Lisa Vittozzi and Eric Perrot are the first names announced for the 2nd edition of the Loop One Festival, the event that effectively brings the summer season of elite biathlon to a close and which the IBU will organise, this time over two days of competition, with the Super Sprints scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, in the heart of Munich.

The defending winners will therefore lead the event’s start list, which represents a very interesting test just over a month before the start of the World Cup: the season’s first Individual will be held in Kontiolahti on 26 November, with the men’s race preceding the women’s event by 24 hours.

For Vittozzi, the preparation process so far has been ideal, with training camps preceding, after she once again opted out of the Blink Festival, her competitive debut of 2026/27 in Dresden, where she finished 3rd in the classic City Biathlon, followed a few days later by the Sappada athlete’s one-two at the Italian summer championships in Val Martello, where Lisa opened up a clear gap in both the Sprint and the Pursuit 24 hours later.