The first venue was Altenberg (then in
East Germany) and the age limit of the participating athletes was 20 years (under 21, now under 22). The Biathlon Junior World Championships from 1967 to 1983 were held in the same period and in one venue as the Biathlon World Championships (men, except olympic years, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980), and from 1984 to 1988 in the same period and in one venue as the Biathlon Women World Championships. Women junior competitions were introduced in 1989 when the Junior World Championships were, for the first time, organized independently from the senior championships (men or women). Youth World Championships (under 19) were introduced in 2002. ==Editions==