Here at our headquarters in Salzburg it’s time to prepare for our BIU outreach sessions, taking place at targeted IBU events in 2025.

The aim of our outreaches is to create awareness of integrity issues among athletes and their entourages and to educate them to make the right choices when confronted with those issues or temptations.

These can include doping, competition manipulation, physical or mental abuse or any other integrity challenges.

Also, and just as importantly, it’s a chance for us to show our faces, to engage directly with athletes and team members, hear their concerns and answer their questions.

You might have already seen and engaged with us at our stand at past events. So how do we decide where and when and how to conduct each of our outreaches?     

·         Ahead of the start of the season we review dates and venues to identify the most appropriate places and points in the season to conduct outreaches and education sessions. Typically, these occur during IBU Junior Cup and IBU Cup competitions, but this season we will also attend two IBU World Cups and the IBU Para World Championships (see below)

·         Next, we consult with the event’s organising committee to agree where and when to position our stand, usually on a non-competition day.

·         Similarly, we contact the relevant National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) to ensure that we align and/or cooperate with its planned activities at the event. Sometimes, the NADO will take over conducting the stand – you might have seen this last season in Pokljuka with SLOADO.

·         We decide on suitable topics for the chosen target group (often these revolve around Anti-Doping and Safeguarding generally, but sometimes they are more specific or current, such as summer 2023’s topic, ‘Respect’).

·         We devise educational and fun activities, which we hope will make our messages more memorable. In the past these have included quizzes, photos and a ‘Wheel of Fortune’. Prizes for taking part in these activities have included buffs and travel towels.

·         Finally, we organise transport for our equipment to and from the events.

For the rest of this season, we’re planning to organise outreaches at the following IBU events:

·         World Cup in Antholz, 23-24 January

·         IBU Cup in Ridnaun, 6-7 February

·         World Cup in Pokljuka, 14-15 March (in cooperation with SLOADO)

·         Para World Championships in Pokljuka, 7 February (in cooperation with SLOADO)

The BIU’s outreaches are part of our mission to protect the integrity of biathlon and ensure that your sport remains fair, clean and trusted.

We thank all the athletes and other team members who have been to our outreach stand in the past, and invite you to visit us at the events listed above in the coming season. You’ll receive a warm welcome!

Katharina Gatterer is the BIU’s Safeguarding & Education Officer