International Biathlon Union

Long time US Biathlon President Max Cobb named Head of International Biathlon Union: Sustainability and Competition keys to Growth He Says

Ben TheyerlSeptember 1, 2022

For the first time ever, an American will preside over international governance of a nordic sport. On Tuesday, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that longtime U.S. Biathlon President and CEO Max Cobb has been named the IBU Secretary General. Cobb will finish up his second term on the IBU Executive Board and leave his post as at U.S. biathlon at the end of September, then begin his new role overseeing international competition, governance, and...

Feature News

The IBU Plans to Improve the Fan Experience with New Mobile App

Jason AlbertJune 15, 2021

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) remains committed to improving its online and mobile products according to a recent announcement. The IBU, along with the global app and web developer Vincit, claims the new products, “will allow fans to follow competitions in real-time, as well as provide a second-screen experience with user-friendly statistics and insights into competitions, personalized user experience, and top-notch content with images and video.” More on this in a bit. Live event streaming or...

Biathlon News Racing

IBU Bans Some Fluorinated Products for the 2021-2022 Season

FasterSkierJune 1, 2021

With time to spare before the 2021-2022 race season, the International Biathlon Union clarified on Monday their fluoro wax policy. In a press release titled “IBU bans harmful fluor products from biathlon events,” the sport governing body banned the use of C8 fluorinated products. C8 compounds, also known as PFOAs, are eight chain fluorocarbons that have historically been used to enhance ski speed in certain conditions. The IBU’s stance brings it into compliance with current...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

IBU Communicates Biathletes from Numerous Countries Test Positive for COVID (Updated)

FasterSkierNovember 25, 2020

The International Biathlon Union announced on Wednesday that as part of their Covid-19 testing protocols, several teams had athletes test positive for the virus. Those positive tests were from Russian, Latvian, and Moldovan biathletes. The IBU stated it was the first of a series of PCR tests to be administered in Kontiolahti, Finland, the first stop of the IBU World Cup. In an email received Thursday morning, the IBU relayed news that athletes from France...

Biathlon World Cup

US Biathlon Prepares for a New Look 2020-2021 Season

Peter MindeNovember 2, 2020

As coronavirus cases spike worldwide, biathletes are preparing for a modified start to the 2020-2021 World Cup season. The schedule emphasizes less travel than would be the norm on the IBU World Cup circuit. At the end of September, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that the first four races of the winter would be held at two venues. Kontiolahti, Finland, will host the first two events on consecutive weekends, starting 27 November. Hochfilzen, Austria...

Racing World Cup

FIS and IBU Pull Back from 2020-2021 Fluoro Ban

FasterSkierOctober 9, 2020

This morning the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation announced they were postponing their fluoro wax bans until the 2021-2022 season. The stated reason in the IBU press release was the following: “allow more time to test and refine the Fluorine Tracker device that is currently under development.” FIS also claimed the device was not ready for use on the World Cup: “Despite the accuracy of the device measurement technology, testing also...

News World Cup

IBU Announces Plans for First Trimester of World Cup Season (Press Release)

FasterSkierSeptember 26, 2020

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Biathlon Union today announced that four World Cup events will take place in the first trimester of the 2020/21 season as planned. However, in order to minimise travel and protect athlete and stakeholder safety they will be hosted in just two venues. The competition dates and disciplines remain unchanged. The EB also agreed that the 14th Ordinary IBU Congress will be held virtually and the adjusted IBU Cup...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

IBU adjusts competition schedule for 2020/21 season (Press Release)

FasterSkierSeptember 11, 2020

The International Biathlon Union posted a press release Friday with the following key take aways. We will post the full press release below. “The IBU is planning to hold a full BMW IBU World Cup.” “The IBU Executive Board will meet on 26-27 September to take a decision on whether adjustments need to be made to the planned World Cup programme in the first trimester (November-December 2020).” “The World Championships Biathlon in Pokljuka (09-21 February...

General News

News Round-Up for Mid-July

FasterSkierJuly 21, 2020

The Biathlon Integrity Unit Comes Online: Earlier this month, the website biathlonintegrity.com came online. The site is the digital interface of the Biathlon Integrity Unit, an independent arm of the International Biathlon Union. Part of the Biathlon Integrity Unit’s mandate, according to the website, is to provide a mechanism to “investigate and prosecute violations” as they relate to “integrity related matters in Biathlon, including anti-doping, ethical breaches, betting-related issues and any kind of result...

Biathlon General News

Au Revoir Martin Fourcade by William Timmons

FasterSkierMarch 30, 2020

A year ago Martin Fourcade was coming off the worst showing of his career, a cataclysm of a season leaving everyone who follows the sport scratching their heads. While he had two victories and another podium by Christmas, something was apparently wrong; his results declined after New Year’s and he wasn’t on the podium again for the rest of the season. He skipped the North American leg of the World Cup, raced World Champs, where...

Doping General News

News Roundup for Feb. 28 – Engadin Canceled

Jason AlbertFebruary 28, 2020

Engadin Canceled: Amidst the whirlwind of February racing, news happens beyond the ski tracks. Here are some notable news threads. It was announced yesterday that the famed Engadin Ski Marathon, to be held on March 8, has been canceled due to concerns related to the coronavirus (also referred to as COVID-19). “The spread of the coronavirus in Europe – with two cases in our vicinity – has left the authorities with no choice but to...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation Audio Short: Max Cobb and the Extraordinary IBU Congress

Jason AlbertNovember 8, 2019

In this episode, we connect with Max Cobb, the CEO of U.S. Biathlon. He also sits on the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) Executive Board. When we spoke, he had just returned from the IBU’s “historic” Extraordinary Congress which took place from October 18th-20th, in Munich. The IBU has been rocked in the recent past by internal mismanagement and doping scandals. Rather than succumb to the inertia associated with systemic change, the IBU has reset and...

Doping General News

News Roundup for 8/12/19

Jason AlbertAugust 12, 2019

New IBU Secretary General Named On August 6th, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced Sweden’s Niklas Carlsson as its new Secretary General. At 44-years-old, Carlsson comes to the position with considerable experience in the world of alpine ski racing. According to the IBU press release, Carlsson served as the Secretary-General of the Swedish Ski Federation from 2011-2014. He has also worked for the International Ski Federation (FIS), and served on the Boards of two Swedish...

General News US Biathlon

IBU Moves Forward on Building Equity

Jason AlbertJune 20, 2019

The numbers speak the truth when it comes to leadership in Olympic sport. Let’s take International Technical Officials (ITOs), the people responsible for a range of duties like enforcing rules and race timing protocol during competition. Across four Olympics, including summer and winter Games from 2010-2014, women constituted no greater than 30 percent of ITOs. On the coaching side, the numbers were starker. Between 2010 and 2014, female accredited coaches at the Olympics never rose...

Biathlon General News

IBU Calendar Changes, Prize Money Increases, and Mandatory Athlete Anti-Doping Education (Press Release)

FasterSkierJune 14, 2019

Press Release IBU makes important calendar and sports decisions amid Congress preparations The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has set the dates for the IBU World Championships Biathlon in Pokljuka 2021 and Oberhof 2023, and decided to establish a new Season Opening from the beginning of the BMW IBU World Cup season 2020/2021. At its meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, the IBU Executive Board also approved the extension of prize money distribution from the Top 15...

Interviews

Bringing Change: Clare Egan and the Season She Hoped For

Jason AlbertFebruary 12, 2019

Having the season you hope for and actually having that season is the rarefied magic of sport. “I am having the season I hoped for but didn’t expect,” US Biathlon’s Clare Egan said in a telephone call on Jan. 30th. “I got the balance right for the first time since I started training full time. Since for eight years — three of which were devoted to cross-country and five of which were devoted to biathlon....

Biathlon News Racing Reviews

As IBU Gears Up for North American Tour, Bø and Wierer Currently Top Standings

Gabby NaranjaFebruary 2, 2019

With six of the nine stops on the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup circuit complete, IBU athletes will take a brief hiatus from Europe this February and venture across the Atlantic for a race tour in North America. The first stop for biathletes, coaches and fans will be Canmore, Albert. Canada–the last World Cup races having taken place there in 2016. Following Canmore, the IBU will head for U.S. soil: The Soldier Hollow Nordic...

Doping News

IBU Brings Doping Cases Against Four Russian Biathletes

FasterSkierDecember 4, 2018

On November 30, The International Biathlon Union (IBU) As recently as September, the IBU voted to rebuff the RBU’s application for full membership.

Biathlon General News Racing

Sweden’s Dahlin Elected IBU President as Reforms Rolled Out

Harald ZimmerSeptember 13, 2018

The past year certainly has not been an easy one for the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the governing body in the sport of biathlon for the past 25 years. The sports federation had to take the unusual measure of suspending the Russian Biathlon Union, historically one of the core countries for biathlon, to a provisional member status. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned several prominent athletes, including biathletes, from that nation from participating in the 2018...

Biathlon Doping General News Racing

Police Raid IBU Headquarters, Investigating President and Secretary General (Updated)

Chelsea LittleApril 11, 2018

Note: This article has been updated with information about bribes as reported by Le Monde on Wednesday. Austrian police raided the headquarters of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) in Salzburg on Tuesday night and into Wednesday. released a statement on Wednesday, revealing that the search was part of an investigation into President Anders Besseberg and Secretary General Nicole Resch. Resch has taken an immediate leave of absence, and Executive Director Martin Kuchenmeister has taken over as...

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