PRESQUE ISLE — Daigle Oil Co. has stepped forward to support the Nordic Heritage Center as a local sponsor of the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships, which will be hosted by NHC from Feb. 28-March 7, 2014.
The Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships, last held at the Nordic Heritage Center in 2006, have tested young athletes overseas in the past few years in Sweden, Finland, Austria and other countries, and seven years after the Nordic Heritage Center hosted its first championship, the event is returning to Maine soil.
“Daigle Oil Co. has been incredibly generous to the Nordic Heritage Center throughout NHC’s history,” said Jane Towle, event director. “Without sponsors like Daigle Oil Co., Nordic Heritage Sport Club simply could not host an international sporting event such as this.”
The event itself requires extensive organization and the support of sponsors and volunteers.
“Biathlon is the most popular winter sport in Europe, and the eyes of millions of biathlon sport enthusiasts are focused on Aroostook County during these events, through live stream and live television broadcast,” said Towle. “We are grateful to Daigle Oil Co. that they continue to be a key participant in these events which ensures the success of Nordic Heritage Center for years to come.”
DOC has sponsored a number of former biathlon events including the World Cup in 2004 and 2011, and DOC staff also volunteered their time during both of these competitions.
DOC Marketing Manager Sonya Dechene LeBoeuf said, “Since the inception of the Maine Winter Sports Centers, Daigle Oil Co. has been active in sponsoring many biathlon events at both the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent.”
The 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships will positively impact both the community and its local economy, and also highlight and promote wellness through physical activity.
“The engine that drives a community is the economy and, as a local business, it is our responsibility to reinvest in the community to help support and nourish its future; we have done so through this sponsorship,” said Dechene LeBoeuf. “We are also hopeful that this Biathlon World Junior Championship will engage adults, children and students to spectate and cheer on a world-class event being held right in their backyard. Watching this competition may inspire one to take up Nordic skiing, utilize the trails of the Nordic Heritage Center throughout the year, and start living a healthy lifestyle, which also has an impact on the community.”
The 2014 World Championships will bring upwards of 350 of the world’s top biathletes age 21 or under, along with support staff from more than 30 countries, to the northern Maine region. For more information and updates on the event, visit http://nordicheritagecenter.org/2014-ibu-world-youth-junior-biathlon-championships/.
