Norway names 6 of 11 Olympic biathletes — no Tandrevold or Uldal

The Olympic Games 2026 are drawing closer, and Norway’s dominant biathlon team is beginning to reveal its hand.

On Tuesday, the Norwegian Olympic Committee (Olympiatoppen) officially approved the first group of biathletes selected for the trip to Italy in February.

The first six officially selected athletes

Men (4 athletes):

Johannes Dale-Skjevdal
Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen
Sturla Holm Laegreid
Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn

Women (2 athletes):

Karoline Offigstad Knotten
Maren Kirkeeide

In total, Norway will send six men and five women to the Olympic Games, meaning several highly coveted spots are still up for grabs.

Tandrevold and Uldal under pressure

The women’s shortlist includes a semi-surprise: the absence of team leader Ingrid Tandrevold. After a very quiet December, she will be under heavy pressure at this week’s Oberhof stage, followed by Ruhpolding.

On the men’s side, competition is so fierce that even podium finishes do not always guarantee Olympic selection.

As a result, Martin Uldal — impressive in Östersund with two second-place finishes and a relay victory — has not yet received his Olympic ticket.

Team manager Per Arne Botnan explained the decision to NRK:

“He achieved those results quite early in the season. Now he has to prove that he is still at the required level before we can select him for an Olympic team.”