DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

Christian brings in experience in sport management, development and coaching from a variety of sports on national and international level. And as a commission member he wishes to contribute to the continuous development of the Biathlon family in all perspectives and on all levels. He currently serves as Head of Sports and Development for Danish cross-country and biathlon and have played an essential role in establishing biathlon as a sport in Denmark over the recent years. Beside this parttime volunteer assignment, Christian has been skiing commentator for Danish Eurosport since 1997. With a background in Sport Science, he worked for some years as a research assistant at Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, before changing track and now holds a master's degree in Communications and Psychology. As sports background Christian has been competitive swimmer, triathlete, and cross-country skier on highest National level in the Junior and early Senior years, before switching to coaching and team management.”

Thomas Braun is Director of the Department „Development of Sports and Education“ in the German Ski Federation (DSV) since 2015. He is responsible for the education of professional coaches, club coaches and instructors in all disciplines of DSV, including Biathlon. Furthermore he is responsible for getting children excited about all snow sport disciplines, train and develop them up to the level where they can compete in sports tournaments. He served as the leader of the delegation at the Youth Olympic Games for the German Ski Federation (YOG 2012, 2016, 2020) and several European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF). Prior he was coaching in Alpine Skiing for more than 20 years in different levels up to European Cup and is responsible for the coaches education in the German Ski Federation.

Liliia Budzuliak has been the sport manager of the Federation Biathlon of Ukraine since 2011. In addition, she was recently elected as the President of the Biathlon Technical Commission of the International School Sport Federation in 2022. Her roles have included managing the national biathlon team, overseeing the hosting and organization of sports events, and implementing marketing strategies. Liliia has also served as a Sports Project Manager, specializing in youth and junior camps, competitions, and social work. With over 10 years of experience in international Olympic integration, Liliia has made significant contributions to the sport of biathlon. For Liliia, biathlon is not just a job but a lifestyle.

John Farra comes to IBU as a former National Champion and 1992 Olympian in Cross Country skiing from Lake Placid, NY. Since retiring as an athlete, Farra has built a successful career in sport performance, including as nordic director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, as well as nordic skiing high performance director for U.S. Paralympics, overseeing both Cross Country and Biathlon, and most recently he served as High Performance GM for USA Triathlon where his Olympic and Paralympic teams led the medals count for the sport in Tokyo. Farra now serves as the Director of Sport Development for US Biathlon with goals to grow the number of participants, clubs and educated coaches across the country. Farra lives in Heber City, Utah, next to the Soldier Hollow biathlon venue where he often serves as a technical official & volunteer.

Rikard Grip grew up in a sports family with 3 older siblings. Sport have been big a part of his life form early age. Snow and skiing were always close to his hart and end up his own carer as XC skier on national level 2007. 2002 start work at Ski Gymnasium as a ski coach, 8 years later 2010 he starts work for Swedish XC National Team as Head Coach and further as Team Director for National Team until 2019. From 2020 Rikard is Secretary General/CEO for Swedish Biathlon Federation. With thorough experience from the Swedish Ski Association, the Swedish Olympic Committee, and Swedish Biathlon Federation, Rikard will be able to contribute in a valuable way to IBU's development work and become an experienced resource in IBU's reference group for development issues.

Carlos Lannes is a married father of two who is currently enrolled in the IBU Academy First Level Course and serves as the head of the Spanish Biathlon Committee. Throughout his career, he has focused on working with young athletes, helping them to make significant changes in their lives as professional athletes. Under his leadership, many young athletes have learned and continue to practice biathlon. Carlos recognizes the importance of biathlon as a sport and its potential and is eager to support new projects and provide opportunities to smaller nations. As a member of the commission, he hopes to contribute to the vision of the future and learn from other nations. His enthusiasm and passion for the sport make him confident that he can provide valuable insights and make meaningful contributions to the committee.

Aliona Sosunova is a former professional biathlete, with extensive experience competing in the World Cup and World Championships. She now serves on the Lithuanian Biathlon Federation Executive Committee and is an active supporter of the biathlon community. Her efforts include commenting on the Olympic Games for national television, advocating and communicating about biathlon growth, helping to organize local competitions, and providing consulting services to the Lithuanian Biathlon Federation. Aliona has over 10 years of experience leading teams and organizations and currently serves as the Director of Engineering at Vinted. She also has two years of experience in management consulting. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Aliona is the founder of Tech Kinship, an NGO that advocates for emotional health and inclusion with over 500 members. She is also an ambassador for Women Go Tech, an NGO that supports women in changing their careers and provides mentorship and support throughout their journey.