International Biathlon Union
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Sport | Biathlon |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | International |
Founded | 2 July 1993 |
Headquarters | Anif b. Salzburg, Austria |
President | Olle Dahlin |
Official website | |
www |
The International Biathlon Union (IBU;
Members
61 nations (March 2023):[2]
- Asia (11): Kyrgyzstan, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Lebanon, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Thailand
- Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
- Americas (7): Canada, Chile, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico, United States
- Europe (41): Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Belarus, North Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Italy, France, Finland, Greenland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Georgia, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Spain, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Iceland, Turkey
History
1993–2009
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) was founded in London on 2 July 1993. This occurred when the National Biathlon Union in London/
Since the foundation of the IBU, yearly World Championships for men and women have been held, as well as junior World Championships and youth World Championships (the first being held in 2002). The European Championships have been conducted for both senior and junior athletes since the 1994/95 season. The first
In the first
2010–2019: Russian corruption scandal
In 2018 the IBU underwent a corruption scandal with its President Anders Besseberg and his deputy, General Secretary Nicole Resch, accused of accepting bribes from Russia.[4] The two left their positions that year after Austrian and Norwegian authorities announced criminal investigations into their conduct.[5] Besseberg had led biathlon’s governing body for 25 years.[5] During that time, according to a January 2021 report commissioned by biathlon’s new leadership and resulting from a two-year investigation, he accepted gifts from the Russians consisting of cash-filled briefcases totalling at least - but perhaps much more than - $200,000 in bribes, luxury vacations and hunting trips, and young women "aides" during trips to World Cup biathlon events.[5][6] In return Besseberg defended Russia's athletes, assailed its critics, and blocked efforts to root out doping by Russia's teams.[5] The report also detailed Resch's similar actions.[5]
2020–present: suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine
Due to the
Administration and sponsorship
In August 1993, a Secretary-General was appointed, and a secretary for the staff added in 1995. A World Cup coordinator was put in place in the 1997/98 season. The coordinator was promoted to sports director before the start of the 2002/03 season. In April 2001 a communication director position was created. In March 2001 the chairman of the IBU legal committee was the legal advisor for the IBU. In May 2020, the IBU moved to a new headquarters in the municipality of Anif, Austria.
The IBU is a
The biathlon events most people are familiar with are the World Cup events, which is the season for the elite athletes; there is a second class season called the IBU Cup which has existed since the IBU's foundation. The men and women that finish in the top ten in the overall leader board have their travel and accommodation paid for the next season by the IBU.
Events
- Biathlon at the Winter Olympics
- Biathlon World Championships
- Biathlon World Cup
- Biathlon Junior World Championships
See also
References
- ^ "International Biathlon Union relocates to new headquarters". 4 May 2020.
- ^ "International Biathlon Union - IBU".
- ^ "The 11th Annual IBU Congress Opens". Biathlonworld. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ "How Russia bought the International Biathlon Union". Le Monde. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Panja, Tariq (28 January 2021). "Hunting Trips, Sex and Cash: How Russia Influenced Biathlon's Leader". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "IBU External Review Commission Final Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2021.
- ^ "Russian and Belarussian biathletes to compete as neutral athletes in IBU events". 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Russian and Belarussian biathletes banned from IBU events". International Biathlon Union - IBU. 2 March 2022.
- ^ "IBU initiates suspension of National Federations of Russia and Belarus and launches solidarity programme for Ukrainian biathlon". International Biathlon Union - IBU. 17 March 2022.
External links
- Official website (in English)