Four days of competition will take place at a resort renowned for plenty of natural snow as well as sub-freezing temperatures and traditional winter sunshine.

No relays are scheduled at this year's event for the first time since 2010.

A women's 7.5 kilometres sprint is scheduled to begin proceedings tomorrow before men sprint over 10km on Friday (January 19).

Both men and women will then race in pursuit events on Saturday (January 20) before competition concludes with mass start races on the final day.

Norway's Johannes Thingnes Bø and France's Martin Fourcade have collectively won the last 10 World Cup legs and will renew their rivalry.

The women's standings have been less predictable.

Slovakia's Anastasiya Kuzmina has won four World Cup races this season but Italy's Dorothea Wierer will be another strong challenger on home snow.