The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has reinforced its commitment to further advancing the development of biathlon by expanding access to education, research and community engagement across its newly launched IBU Academy and Biathlon4All websites and corporate Instagram Channel, @insidebiathlon.

The IBU’s investment into development has increased significantly in recent years as the federation aims to grow and strengthen the sport around the world. The IBU Academy has played a critical role in advancing training and education among National Federations, athletes and coaches through a wide range of programmes. Over the last two years, more than 100 coaches have graduated in IBU Academy Coach Education courses and a number of partnerships have been signed with renowned education institutes to enhance academic research. Over 1000 education sessions have been conducted and made available to more than 3000 individuals registered on the Academy’s e-learning platform.

The IBU has also announced the expansion of its Biathlon for All project, which has reached close to 130,000 children and young people participating in biathlon try-out activities. Moreover, 44 National Federations are participating in the project in the 2024/2025 season and have received over 500 sets of laser and optical rifles to carry out biathlon activities for children.

The creation of the new digital channels will help to strengthen the work of these IBU development initiatives by improving communication with National Federations, providing resources and programmes, and enhancing the professionalism and appeal of the sport globally. On the IBU Academy website members of the biathlon family will find comprehensive information on all the Academy’s educational activities and courses, athlete resources on performance enhancement and dual career opportunities, scientific research and community engagement opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Biathlon 4 All website is dedicated to making biathlon accessible and enjoyable for children and young people worldwide. The new website equips users with details on easy-to-use shooting equipment designed specifically for young athletes, comprehensive activity toolkits offering training resources and guidelines to help young athletes learn and grow within the sport, information on upcoming events and news, ideas and guidance for organizing engaging training sessions or events, and ideas to encourage community engagement.

The launch of the new Instagram Channel @insidebiathlon will focus on showcasing and promoting these many initiatives and projects the IBU delivers all year long to fans who are interested in the work behind the scenes of a modern International Federation: from sustainability initiatives to education and development programs as well as governance topics and the fight against doping.

The global development of biathlon is a core initiative under IBU’s Strategic Plan Target 2030 with its overall objectives to double the total number of athletes with a focus on youth. The IBU Academy and Biathlon 4 All are central to achieving this objective as they aim to attract new participants to biathlon and deliver action plans for recruiting and training young athletes as well as guaranteeing broadly skilled individuals working with kids, youth and seniors on national and international levels.

Photo: IBU