Almost 20,000 biathlon fans reach deafening levels as they sing and cheer their heroes

ANTERSELVA, Italy — They wear Norwegian Viking helmets, French chicken suits and German fuzzy black, red and yellow cow hats, paint their faces in national colors, drape flags around their shoulders and don patriotic costumes as they sing YMCA or chant their hero's name.

The almost 20,000 biathlon fans who pack the stands and line the ski tracks of Anterselva biathlon arena are among the most boisterous of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and their enthusiasm will likely hit a crescendo Friday for the men's 15-kilometer mass start race — the last chance for the men to medal in this Olympic cycle.

“Sha la la la la la la - Er-ic Per-rot,” chanted a group of French fans wearing blue, white and red chicken hats and carrying a cut-out face of Perrot - who has already won two gold and a silver medal in these Winter Games.

Up the trail, Oystein Saeterdal of Bergen, Norway, wore a Norwegian flag suit and sunglasses while standing with a group of Swedish fans wearing yellow and blue jackets and hats. Their countries may be rivals on the ski track and shooting range, but they support each other and cheer for all who compete, he said.

“It's the biathlon family,” he said. “It's another atmosphere. I go to football matches in England and it's not like this. We're all friends. That's why it's so special.”

During the races, when the lead biathlete skis into the shooting range area, the crowd erupts in a deafening cheer. They go silent before the first shot is fired, scream a collective “yay” for each hit and sigh a disappointed “ohhh” if there’s a miss. The Italian and German biathletes get the loudest responses, but the festive crowd will offer support to any skier who passes the sold-out stands or struggles on a climb.

Biathlon is one of they most watched winter sports in Europe and the Olympic biathlon races are being held at an established, frequently used and visited venue — the Südtirol Arena in Anterselva, Italy. It's an annual stop on the biathlon World Cup circuit and regular host of the World Championships.

It knows how to welcome and accommodate thousands of fans - regardless of the weather.

The range is located at an altitude of 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) at the top of the Anterselva valley, in the shadow of jagged, snow-covered peaks near the Austrian border. The biathlon venue has the highest spectator capacity of the entire Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and is expected to host close to 200,000 fans through the event.

Allan and Mallory Ayers traveled all the way from Bentonville, Arkansas, to attend Olympic events and said the view at the Anterselva venue was the best they've seen.

German fan Alois Aschenbrenner said he and his group of cow-hat-wearing fans drove eight hours in a blizzard on Thursday, and then took two shuttle buses and walked another 15 minutes to attend Friday's mass start race.

“It was worth it,” he said. “We give a cheer to everybody.”