The International Biathlon Union’s governance improvements have been recognised with the federation securing the highest score of any winter sport in the Fifth Review of Governance of the Winter Olympic Federations conducted by I Trust Sport.

When compared to summer IFs, the IBU was also the highest scoring IF among the 13 winter and summer sports with 20-49 staff. The federation scored highly across all five of the report’s core principles or sections, achieving one point short of maximum in the Transparency section. The IBU reached a total governance score of 203 placing it at the upper end of the A2 category.

The report noted the important work the IBU has undertaken since the last edition of the review in 2022 including the transition from Strategic Plan Target 26 to Target 2030, active implementation of its safeguarding programme and annual reporting on progress with the sustainability strategy and the Biathlon 4 All programme.

IBU President Olle Dahlin said:

“We are very proud to have received the highest score in the fifth review of the governance of the Winter Olympic Federations. Integrity, governance and sustainability are the three underlying principles that underpin everything we do at the IBU and it is rewarding to see this is being recognised. We have come a long way since we initiated a comprehensive governance reform process in 2018. We have demonstrated substantial progress reflecting our unwavering commitment to transparency, integrity and excellence in sports administration in the last seven years.”

IBU’s new score marked a significant increase from the last edition of 2021-2022 where the IBU scored a total score of 159. This year’s report allowed for higher scores as it measured across an additional 10 indicators. However, when these 10 new indicators are excluded, the IBU’s score still increased from 159 to 172.

The Fifth Review of Governance of the Winter Olympic Federations measures winter sports across a total of 60 indicators –covering five principles or sections: Transparency, Integrity, Democracy, Development and Sustainability, and Control Mechanisms.

Photo: Manzoni/IBU