Integrity and Authenticity of Competitions are the heart of the BIU’s mission
At the heart of the Biathlon Integrity Unit’s (BIU) mission is to restore trust and confidence to the sport of biathlon. To achieve that, we are focussed on addressing a number of different areas in our sport, which range from anti-doping to safeguarding, and from diversity issues to anti-corruption.
It is the latter issue, anti-corruption, that often biathletes and other individuals within the sport are least familiar with. The BIU wants to remind participants within our sport that they must adhere to certain anti-corruption obligations that prevent any kind of result manipulation. Biathletes can be found guilty of corruption against the sport through actions such as match fixing and betting; and so, to avoid falling foul of the rules, it’s important to be familiar with what you must not do.
As it relates to match fixing, this involves not:
- Fixing or improperly influencing the result, progress, outcome, conduct or any other aspect of any Biathlon competition;
- Seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe to fix or improperly influence the result, progress, outcome, conduct or any other aspect of any Biathlon competition;
- Intentionally failing to perform to the best of your abilities in any Biathlon competition.
As it relates to betting, this involves not:
- Placing, accepting, laying or otherwise entering into any bet in relation to the result, progress, outcome, conduct or any other aspect of any Biathlon competition;
- Instructing or enticing another party to enter into any bet in relation to the result, progress, outcome, conduct or any other aspect of any Biathlon competition;
- Using ‘inside information’ for betting purposes;
- Disclosing any ‘inside information’ to any party for betting purposes;
- Providing, offering, giving, requesting or receiving any gift that risks undermining public confidence in the integrity of any Biathlon competition.
As is the case with all integrity issues, we encourage biathletes and other members of the community to familiarise themselves with the rules (see Chapter C of the IBU Integrity Code), and don’t forget if you have any questions to get in touch with the BIU: [email protected]
ITA to host Educational Webinar Sequel for Biathletes and Support Personnel
The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) is pleased to announce that the International Testing Agency (ITA) will host the second session of its 2021 ITA Educational Webinar Series, which, once again, will be available for biathletes and their support personnel later this week. The session will take place on Thursday 25 February from 14.00 – 15.30 CET.
The Webinar, titled ‘Doping Control – be prepared for any scenario, follows on from last month’s session on how to navigate the anti-doping system, will once again offer biathletes and members of their entourage – whether they be coaches, parents, doctors, or others – a chance to learn the ins and outs of doping control.
In this Thursday’s session, biathletes and support members will have the opportunity to hear from: former national-level endurance athlete, international Doping Control Officer (DCO) and trainer, Jasmina Glad-Schreven; DCO and former international-level gymnast and cheerleader, Taja Petric; professional muaythai fighter and trainer, three-time World Champion and IFMA Athletes’ Commission Chair, Janice Lyn; and ITA Education Manager and former Olympian, Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova. The 90-minute webinar will provide the chance to hear from the three experts and also ask questions of them to further your control knowledge.
“At the best of times, the doping control process can seem awkward and unnerving, and that’s why it’s so important that biathletes and their support team gain an understanding of the rules and why they’re in place. This webinar sequel from the ITA is another great opportunity to boost their knowledge on the topic,” said BIU Head, Greg McKenna.
Biathletes and support personnel that are interested in the webinar should register here.
Topic: Doping control – be prepared for any scenario
Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Jn6XbxiXQxedfr4Vdd8akg
Event date: Thursday, February 25th, 14h-15h30 CET
Presenters:
- Jasmina Glad-Schreven –
Former national-level endurance athlete, international DCO and trainer with over 15 years of experience in anti-doping
- Taja Petric –
Former international-level gymnast and cheerleader, DCO with over 15 years of experience in anti-doping
- Janice Lyn –
Professional muaythai fighter and trainer, Three-time World Champion, IFMA Athletes’ Commission Chair
- Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova OLY –
ITA Education Manager (host)
BIU reinforces commitment to protecting clean athletes
As the IBU Biathlon World Championships get underway in Pokljuka, Slovenia today, the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) has underlined its ongoing commitment and dedication to protecting athletes’ rights in a clean sport – in this new era for biathlon.
Despite the global pandemic, the BIU has worked hard to ensure that the testing process within biathlon has continued with as little disruption as possible. During 2020, the Unit conducted 1,836 anti-doping tests, which compares with 2,098 conducted the previous year (2019). Due to public health restrictions, the capabilities of the BIU’s sample collection partners, varied from country to country.
However, while the total number of tests was slightly reduced, the BIU took a more strategically targeted approach to ensure there was no reduction in the quality or effectiveness of the anti-doping programme. This approach has been applied to this year (2021). In January 2021 the BIU testing programme comprised 272 tests, which equals 80% of the tests carried out in January 2020 which wasnt affected by the pandemic.
The BIU will continue to improve its testing programme and ensure that clean athletes continue to be protected. Testing is part of a broader, enhanced and progressive anti-doping strategy that relies not solely on in- or out-of-competition testing, but also on investigations and information sharing, whistleblowing, the Athlete Biological Passport, education and other means to protect clean biathletes.
The BIU is embracing a holistic approach to anti-doping that encompasses a variety of different tools – not testing numbers in isolation – which, together, aim to detect, deter and prevent doping, and that work towards one overarching mission: restoring trust and confidence to our sport.
The BIU looks forward to communicating its broader, progressive anti-doping strategy to biathletes and others within the sport and always welcomes direct feedback.
BIU Statement on post External Review Commission Inquiries
Following the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) publication of the External Review Commission report into allegations of wrongdoing and corruption on 1 February, the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) is conducting its own ongoing inquiries into the matters highlighted by the report.
The BIU is currently examining the full unredacted copy of the report, together with all supporting evidence, to determine whether to undertake any further investigations and whether to bring disciplinary charges for breach of the IBU rules that were in place at the relevant time. As is the BIU’s prerogative, we will conduct all our enquiries independently and impartially.
The BIU will provide any findings of rule violations and other breaches to IBU rules to its board, along with a recommendation by the Head of the BIU. The BIU Board will then consider the findings and determine whether or not, subsequent action is required.
The BIU will continue to provide updates on our progress.
IBU Press Release – Publication of ERC Final Report
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) today published the final report of the independent External Review Commission (ERC), as a demonstration of the federation’s commitment to ensuring allegations of wrongdoing are thoroughly investigated in a fair and transparent process. The final report can be found here.
The IBU Executive Board appointed the ERC, chaired by Jonathan Taylor QC, in November 2018 to conduct a full investigation into the allegations made against former IBU President Anders Besseberg and former IBU Secretary General Nicole Resch. The ERC’s terms of reference can be found here.
Following an exhaustive investigation, the ERC concluded that both Mr Besseberg and Ms Resch have cases to answer for breach of the IBU’s rules, based on their apparent protection of Russian interests, particularly in the anti-doping context, without good justification.
Parts of the public version of the report have had to be redacted for legal reasons. The ERC has supplied a full unredacted copy of the report, together with all supporting evidence, to the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU). Under the new IBU Constitution adopted in 2019, the BIU has the sole responsibility to determine whether to undertake any further investigations and whether to bring disciplinary charges for breach of the IBU rules that were in place at the relevant time.
ERC Chair Jonathan Taylor said:
“This final report stands as a case study for the importance of good governance in sport. The complete lack of basic governance safeguards previously in place at the IBU meant the former IBU leadership was able to operate without checks and balances, without transparency, and without accountability. The report shows why all integrity decisions should be made by an independent body that is dedicated solely to protecting the ethical values of the sport, not by an executive board that has to deal with a number of conflicting interests.
“However, the Commission commends the new IBU President and Executive Board members for addressing these issues. The IBU has strengthened the constitution and moved forward in line with international best practice, to minimise the chances of wrongdoing like this recurring.”
IBU President Olle Dahlin said:
“We are shocked by the wrongdoing that has been described in the External Review Commission’s report. But, we are grateful to the Commission for bringing this evidence to light and ensuring that misconduct within our sport is accounted for.
“Thanks to the creation of the Integrity Unit and numerous governance reforms we have introduced in the last two years, we now have the safeguards in place to ensure this kind of wrongdoing does not happen again. But we will not be complacent and will continue to work hard to stay at the forefront of international best practice, upholding the highest standards of good governance.”
BIU Chair Louise Reilly added:
“The conclusions of the External Review Commission are deeply troubling and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Unit. It is precisely to detect and prevent instances such as these occurring that the Unit was created, to ensure all of biathlon’s stakeholders can have confidence that ethical issues in the sport will be addressed independently and expertly.
“The Integrity Unit will also analyse the extensive evidence collected by the ERC and determine whether to bring proceedings for apparent violations of the IBU rules independently, impartially, and without fear or favour, thereby upholding our responsibility to protect the integrity of the sport.”
ITA to host Anti-Doping Webinar for Biathletes and Support Personnel
The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) is pleased to announce that the International Testing Agency (ITA) will host the first session of its 2021 ITA Educational Webinar Series, which will be available for biathletes and their support personnel next week. The debut session of 2021 will take place on Thursday 28 January from 14.00 – 15.30 CET.
The Webinar, which follows on from a successful pilot series held by the ITA last year, will offer biathletes and members of their entourage – whether they be coaches, parents, doctors, or others – an opportunity to learn how to navigate the anti-doping system.
In Thursday’s session, biathletes and support members will have the opportunity to hear from the Director of Education for the recently-formed Sport Integrity Australia, Alexis Cooper; three-time Team Canada Olympian in the Bobsleigh, Neville Wright; and the ITA’s Education Manager and former Olympian Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova. The 90-minute webinar will provide the chance to hear from the three experts and also ask questions of them to further your anti-doping knowledge.
“At the BIU, we know that anti-doping rules and regulations can often be hard to understand, however all biathletes and support persons have a responsibility to know the system and understand how it is there to protect them. This webinar with the ITA is an excellent occasion to engage on the topic and bolster knowledge about the ins and outs of the anti-doping system,” said BIU Head, Greg McKenna.
Starting on Thursday, the ITA, will run a series of monthly webinars throughout the year focussed on different aspects of one of the most complicated systems for elite athletes to understand: anti-doping.
Biathletes and support personnel that are interested in the webinar should register here.
Topic: Set up for a successful year – Tips on navigating the anti-doping system
Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3eoyh4dITkmyQXn_lFlrsg
Event date: Thursday, January 28th, 14h-15h30 CET
Presenters:
Alexis Cooper, Director – Education, Sport Integrity Australia
Neville Wright OLY – Three-time Team Canada Olympian, bobsleigh
Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova OLY, ITA Education Manager
New and improved Anti-Doping and Learning Platform goes live!
The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) is pleased to announce that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s new and improved Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform (ADEL) is now available for the biathlon community.
The original ADEL was launched in January 2018, however the new ADEL supports the new WADA International Standard for Education, which took effect on 1 January 2021 and is seen as a significant step forward in anti-doping education policy.
BIU Head, Greg McKenna said: “Education is an essential long-term strategy if we’re to make inroads into tackling doping as an issue in modern-day sport, and that’s why the introduction of the new and improved ADEL is an important step forwards for the biathlon community. The availability of education and learning programs for the our community, whether they be biathletes, coaches, parents or other entourage members, is another positive step forward for instilling a positive culture for tomorrow’s athletes.”
The new ADEL platform – which is available via desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone, as well as via the ADEL Mobile App – features a wider range of educational courses and resources for more target audiences as identified in the World Anti-Doping Code and allows for the biathlon community to access technical help on a range of topics; this includes international and national-level athletes, those in a Registered Testing Pool, parents, coaches, medical professionals and others. The platform also includes resources including: the Athlete and Athlete Support Personnel Guides to the Significant Changes in the 2021 Code; the Athlete and Athlete Support Personnel Guide to the 2021 List, as well as, all Code Implementation Support Program (CISP) resources, including the recently published Guidelines for Education, Therapeutic Use Exemptions and Results Management.
The new ADEL also has personalised learning plans, a gamification concept and community learning features so that users can exchange questions with people working in anti-doping. You can discover more by visiting the WADA website.
A New Year’s Message from the Head of the Biathlon Integity Unit
Dear Biathlon Family,
Despite the global pandemic, at the Biathlon Integrity Unit we have maintained a robust in and out of competition testing programme. However, as a modern sports integrity unit, our testing programme must evolve to lead with the most progressive and holistic approaches to anti-doping, and that means ensuring we are equipped to deal not only with those who cheat, but more importantly, those who encourage and support cheating within our sport.
This means that, as we enter 2021, testing within our sport will become more unpredictable and targeted, using the best information and cutting-edge intelligence analysis. That means working closely with those across our sport to maximise the impact of our anti-doping effort. As we begin 2021, I want to send a message that anti-doping is a team effort, and make clear that everyone involved in Biathlon must be part of that anti-doping team if we are to foster, and maintain a clean, fair sport for all. You may be someone who tells us about an individual’s behaviour, or you may have concerns regarding a persons welfare. Any piece of information, no matter how big or small, could make all the difference to the healthy culture we are trying to foster in our sport.
Alternatively, you may be somebody who feels that they are stuck in a doping trap; that person who, due to pressures, has starting taking a prohibited substance and now feels as though they have nowhere to turn. Regardless of the information you provide, we are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to speak to you in absolute confidence – we can help you make biathlon a better sport for all. If you prefer, you can contact us anonymously, through our whistleblower portal, located on the BIU website. We can and we will provide you with the support you need.
Throughout the remainder of the 2020 – 2021 season, we will provide you with more detailed information on how we will be protecting you and integrity of our sport, through our analysis of race results, work with WADA-accredited laboratories, intelligence collection and investigation work. In the meantime, keep in touch and I wish you the best of luck for a healthy, more prosperous 2021.
Yours, Greg McKenna
Head of Biathlon Integrity Unit
Biathlon Integrity Unit partners with University to advance AD-Education
The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) has announced today that it has partnered with the Tirol, Austria-based University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology’s (UMIT) Institute for Sport Alpine Medicine and Health Tourism to build and implement a comprehensive clean sport education programme.
The two-year long partnership programme will be fully compliant with the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code and 2021 International Standard for Education, both of which come into force at the start of next month.
Anti-doping programmes have traditionally focused on the doping control aspects, however in recent years the emphasis has shifted increasingly to information provision and values-based education, so that all athletes are aware of the rules and the dangers of doping.
Central to the BIU – UMIT collaboration will be work that monitors the BIU’s education programmes; an exercise that is seen as essential in maintaining or adapting existing preventative education programmes. In addition, the partnership will allow new programmes to be developed in order to eliminate any weaknesses and knowledge gaps [in the programme] among athletes and, further, allow resources to be utilised efficiently.
The overriding purpose of the BIU – UMIT preventative education partnership is to ensure Biathletes are provided with the best possible educational recourses. This will be achieved through analysis and, evaluation of the programmes which the BIU will offer its athletes. The evaluation exercise will be conducted through an online questionnaire, which will be sent to biathletes by email. In conjunction, an on-site survey will also take place at key biathlon competitions.
The educational measures that result from the evaluation will be implemented in collaboration with the IOC-backed International Testing Agency (ITA).
“The BIU is delighted to partner with UMIT to deliver this education monitoring programme for biathletes worldwide. Education has gained in importance [in anti-doping] in recent years, as it is widely seen as central to how we keep athletes competing fair and, further, to how we prevent doping in biathlon for future generations. At the BIU, we prioritise listening to athletes and learning how we can best deliver effective education to them as professional competitors,” said BIU Head, Greg McKenna.
