View source for International Biathlon Union

{{Short description|International sports governing body organizing biathlon}}
{{more citations needed|date = September 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox sport governing body
|name              = International Biathlon Union
|sport             = [[Biathlon]]
|category          = 
|image             = IBU official logo.svg
|image_size        = 250px
|caption           = 
|jurisdiction      = [[File:Emblem-earth.svg|23x23px]] [[List of international sports federations|International]]
|founded           = {{Start date and age|1993|07|2|df=y}}
|aff               = 
|affdate           = 
|headquarters      = [[Anif]] b. Salzburg, [[Austria]]
|location          = 
|president         = Olle Dahlin
|chairman          = 
|chairperson       = 
|chair             = 
|chiefexec         = 
|vicepresident     = 
|director          = 
|secretary         = 
|coach             = 
|womenscoach       = 
|key staff         = 
|operating income  = 
|sponsor           = 
|year closed       = 
|replaced          = 
|prevfounded       = 
|url               = https://www.biathlonworld.com/
|logo              = 
|membership        = 
|abbrev            = 
|region            = 
|regionyear        = 
}}
The '''International Biathlon Union''' ('''IBU'''; {{langx|de|Internationale Biathlon-Union}}) is the international governing body of [[biathlon]]. Its headquarters were in [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]], until May 2020, when the Federation moved to [[Anif]], on the outskirts of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/detail/international-biathlon-union-relocates-to-new-headquarters|title=International Biathlon Union relocates to new headquarters|language=en|date=4 May 2020}}</ref> It was rocked by a corruption scandal that broke in 2018, concerning the Russians bribing its top two officials. In 2022 Russia and Belarus were suspended from all international biathlon competitions until further notice.

==Members==
61 nations (March 2023):<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.biathlonworld.com/inside-ibu/governance/ibu-member-federations | title=International Biathlon Union - IBU }}</ref>
#Asia (11): {{CHN}}, {{TPE}}, {{IND}}, {{JPN}}, {{KAZ}}, {{KOR}}, {{KGZ}}, {{LBN}}, {{MGL}}, {{THA}}, {{UZB}}
#Oceania (2): {{AUS}}, {{NZL}}
#Americas (7): {{ARG}}, {{BRA}}, {{CAN}}, {{CHI}}, {{DOM}}, {{MEX}}, {{USA}}
#Europe (41): {{AND}}, {{ARM}}, {{AUT}}, {{BLR}}, {{BEL}}, {{BIH}}, {{BUL}}, {{CRO}}, {{CYP}}, {{CZE}}, {{DEN}}, {{EST}}, {{FIN}}, {{FRA}}, {{GEO}}, {{GER}}, {{GRE}}, {{GRL}}, {{HUN}}, {{ISL}}, {{IRL}}, {{ITA}}, {{LAT}}, {{LIE}}, {{LTU}}, {{MDA}}, {{NED}}, {{MKD}}, {{NOR}}, {{POL}}, {{ROU}}, {{RUS}}, {{SRB}}, {{SVK}}, {{SLO}}, {{ESP}}, {{SWE}}, {{SUI}}, {{TUR}}, {{UKR}}, {{GBR}}

==History==
===1920–1953===
[[Military patrol]] part of the [[International Military Sports Council]].

===1953–1993===
[[Modern Biathlon]] part of [[Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne]].

===1993–2009===
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) was founded in London on 2 July 1993. This occurred when the National Biathlon Union in London/[[Heathrow]] decided to exclude biathlon from the World federation UIPMB ([[Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne|Union de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon]]), which it had been part of since 1953,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.biathlonworld.com/en/press_releases.html/do/detail?presse=2267|title=The 11th Annual IBU Congress Opens|publisher=Biathlonworld|language=en|date=4 September 2014|access-date=13 March 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313201912/http://www3.biathlonworld.com/en/press_releases.html/do/detail?presse=2267|archive-date=13 March 2016}}</ref> forcing biathlon to form their own international federation. During the congress the new federation elected their executive committee and the 57 existing members of the UIPMB were automatically transferred to the IBU. However the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) did not recognise the IBU as an international [[Olympics|Olympic]] winter sport federation until August 1998. In the same year the [[SportAccord|Global Association of International Sports Federations]] (GAISF) declared the IBU as a proper member. The IBU settled in Salzburg, Austria in June 1999. A congress is held every two years, and is considered the most important organ of the IBU according to its constitution. The first congress was held in Salzburg in 1994.

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 [[summer biathlon]] World Championships took place in [[Hochfilzen]], Austria in 1996. During the 1999/2000 season the IBU assumed the management of archery biathlon from [[World Archery Federation|FITA]], and archery biathlon World Cups and World Championships have been held since 2002.

In the first [[Winter Olympics]] in which biathlon was included there were three events and up until the 2006 games, four. From 2006 onward there have been five biathlon events (Relay, Individual, Mass Start, Sprint, and Pursuit), and from 2014, six with the inclusion of the Mixed Relay.

===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.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Russia bought the International Biathlon Union |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2018/04/11/how-russia-bought-the-international-biathlon-union_5284117_3242.html |access-date=2019-01-30 |work=Le Monde}}</ref> The two left their positions that year after Austrian and Norwegian authorities announced criminal investigations into their conduct.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/sports/olympics/biathlon-russia-doping-besseberg.html|title=Hunting Trips, Sex and Cash: How Russia Influenced Biathlon's Leader|first=Tariq|last=Panja|work=The New York Times |date=28 January 2021|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Besseberg had led biathlon’s governing body for 25 years.<ref name="auto"/> 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.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/biathlon-report-russia-besseberg/0cff27aa56cc6861/full.pdf|title=IBU External Review Commission Final Report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129153356/https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/biathlon-report-russia-besseberg/0cff27aa56cc6861/full.pdf|archive-date=29 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> In return Besseberg defended Russia's  athletes, assailed its critics, and blocked efforts to root out doping by Russia's teams.<ref name="auto"/> The report also detailed Resch's similar actions.<ref name="auto"/>

===2020–present: suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine===
Due to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Russia and Belarus, as invading nations, were suspended from all international biathlon competitions until further notice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/ibu-russia-ukraine-war/50crYBiHnYhvDFc57crpgg|title = Russian and Belarussian biathletes to compete as neutral athletes in IBU events|date = 26 February 2022}}</ref> The International Biathlon Union banned the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials at its international events, and began procedures to suspend the Russian and Belarusian Biathlon Federations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/russia-belarus-ban-biathlon/5ZE0Cw161gYi3hJpeXsiAw|title=Russian and Belarussian biathletes banned from IBU events|date=2 March 2022|website=International Biathlon Union - IBU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/press-release-belarus-ukraine-17-march-2022/2DKdr4zw2lyuzAtvNjT8si|title=IBU initiates suspension of National Federations of Russia and Belarus and launches solidarity programme for Ukrainian biathlon|date=17 March 2022|website=International Biathlon Union - IBU}}</ref>

==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 (Austria)|municipality]] of [[Anif]], Austria.

The IBU is a [[non-profit organization]], having contacts contracts with the [[European Broadcasting Union|European Broadcasting Union (EBU)]] and APF Marketing Services. There are [[sponsor (commercial)|sponsor]] advertisements along all the biathlon courses, the most notable ones being [[Hörmann]], [[Bauhaus (company)|Bauhaus]], [[Viessmann]], [[LaVita]], [[Deutsche Kreditbank|DKB]], and [[BMW]], who is the main sponsor. [[IFS AB|IFS]] (software solutions) acts as Official Data Partner and [[Polar Electro|Polar]] (heart rate monitors) as Timing Partner benefitting from visibility in all TV graphics relating to time measurement. Most of the sponsors are German, [[Scandinavia]]n, and [[Eastern Europe]]an, where most of the interest in biathlon is. In 1996, as part of the IBU development project, partnership contracts were established with some companies, which supplied free materials and equipment to the less fortunate member federations.

The biathlon events most people are familiar with are the [[Biathlon World Cup|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]]
* [[Summer Biathlon World Championships]]
* [[Biathlon World Cup]]
* [[Biathlon Junior World Championships]]
* [[Biathlon European Championships]]
* [[IBU Cup]]

==See also==
* [[List of shooting sports organizations]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.biathlonworld.com/}} {{in lang|en}}

{{International Sports Federations}}
{{IBU Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:International Biathlon Union| ]] 
[[Category:Biathlon governing bodies|*]]
[[Category:Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations|Biathlon]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1993]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in England]]
[[Category:International organisations based in Austria]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Salzburg]]