The Biathlon Integrity Unit is governed by a five-person Board.

The present Board, the first since the BIU was established, was appointed at an Extraordinary Congress meeting of the International Biathlon Union held in October 2019.

The Board is made up of:

·         three independent members

·         a member of the IBU’s Executive Board

·         and the Head of the BIU.

The Board is responsible for governing the BIU and ensuring it carries out its role and responsibilities in accordance with the IBU’s Constitution and the BIU Rules.

So who are the Board members? What experience and expertise qualified them for their role, and what motivated them to join?

Let’s meet them. 

Louise Reilly  – Chair of the Board

Louise Reilly is an Irish barrister specialising in sports law and international arbitration, with extensive experience in relation to sports integrity matters (including anti-doping) and governance.

“I am an Irish barrister and have worked in the field of sports law since 2008, first as Managing Counsel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and more recently as an independent barrister representing sports bodies in regulatory matters. I have extensive experience in governance matters, particularly anti-doping, and represent parties in proceedings before domestic and international tribunals. 

“In addition to my work as a barrister, I am regularly appointed by international sports bodies to investigate or adjudicate allegations of wrongdoing. I am a member of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body Appeals Chamber, FA Judicial Panel, and International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Independent Member Federation Sanctioning Panel.

“I also sit as an arbitrator in anti-doping and other disciplinary proceedings, and am a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of Sport Resolutions, UK.

“I believe that effective governance is best served by delegating integrity-related issues to an operationally independent integrity unit. The fact that the IBU was willing to dedicate significant time and resources to establishing the BIU indicated to me that the Executive Board was taking governance reform seriously. That genuine desire to improve and foster good governance encouraged me to become a member of the BIU board.

“Being part of a dynamic, enthusiastic and hard-working team motivates me. Members of the BIU recently met with National Federation presidents and the feedback on the positive impact the BIU was having on the sport of biathlon was extremely encouraging.

“I believe that the emphasis on intelligence and investigations as a means of deterring and detecting doping has been one of the most important shifts in how the IBU regulates its anti-doping programme.

“Currently, the biggest integrity threat to biathlon is doping but the BIU is aware that other threats such as competition manipulation exist, and we are taking steps to identify and prevent other integrity breaches.

“I strongly believe in the principle of fair play, both on and off the field. I also believe that those in charge of sport should be held to the same high levels of conduct and accountability to which we hold athletes. Through my own participation in sport, particularly running and cycling, I have experienced the power of sport to foster and develop friendships, unite people, and create common goals. Sport is far more than entertainment; it has great potential as a force for good and that is worth protecting.”

 Markus Hauptmann – Board Member

Markus Hauptmann is a German attorney at law, former partner at leading international law firm White & Case and former founding board member of the German National Anti-Doping Agency.

“I am a founding board member of Germany’s newly-established National Anti-Doping Agency, having previously been Chairman of the former Legal Commission of the German Sports Association against Doping. I also acted as a Legal Expert in several hearings and statements at the German Sports Committee of the German Parliament, in order to pass a German Anti-Doping Statute. Finally, I act as (presiding) arbitrator for doping cases at the German Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“I was attracted to become a member of the BIU board by the opportunity to be an initial part of the newly-established, modern and necessary governance structure of the IBU. I am motivated to contribute to professional, effective and successful protection of the sport of biathlon and its athletes against illegal and unfair activities, including doping.

“Since joining the Board, I believe we have established a professionally trustworthy, working BIU team that has prevailed in all contentious doping cases since the BIU’s inauguration.

“As with most sports, the biggest integrity threats to biathlon are doping and corruption, driven by financial, political and/or individual motives and pressure.

“My own sporting values were formed through my experiences as a young, enthusiastic sportsman in high school and at my basketball club (I was a soccer and basketball player in my home town, the famous sporting centre of Leverkusen, where the chemical company Bayer AG is a prominent sponsor of sport). As a result, I was taught by teachers and trainers in a professional, well-supported sporting environment. This helped me understand the social value of competitive sports and of its athletes as (clean) role models to help form the values of young sportsmen and women, including competitiveness and fairness in a high-performance culture.”

 Alex Marshall – Board Member

Alex Marshall is the Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit of the International Cricket Council, which focuses on preventing corruption in world cricket through education, investigation and prosecution.

I worked in law enforcement for 37 years before moving to anti-corruption and wider integrity issues in cricket, four years ago. So I bring more than four decades of experience of keeping people safe, fighting corruption and catching criminals and cheats.

Biathlon is a fascinating sport, requiring a range of skills and abilities, such as endurance, speed and accuracy under pressure. I’m motivated by the idea of fairness for all those participating and watching such a demanding sport.

My ‘day job’ is working to ensure the integrity of cricket. Cricket is a summer sport (it’s always summer somewhere in the cricket world) and biathlon is a winter sport. This gives me a perfect balance!

The most important developments at the BIU since the board was set up are:

·         The establishment of our independence within the sport

·         The start of building a trusting relationship with participants and wider biathlon family

·         Our preparedness to take on difficult and high-profile cases, without fear or favour.

The biggest threat to the integrity of biathlon is the existence of people willing to persuade and assist athletes to cheat. We need to work with and educate all within the sport to keep these people away and make biathlon resistant to this ever-present threat. 

My two sports (when I was younger) were distance running and cricket. I believe my sporting values are founded on these origins.

From marathon running, I know how many hours of honest painful effort are required to improve. The idea that someone else might get to the finish line through short cuts and cheating appals me.

The Spirit of Cricket is a long-established concept of fairness. Cricketing terminology abounds in the English language. ‘It’s just not cricket’ can be used to declare unfairness in any setting.

As an avid sports fan, I’m attracted to the idea of a level playing field and a respect for the rules, protocols and traditions of each sport. The outcome should always be fair.

 Dr Franz Steinle – Executive Board Member

Dr Franz Steinle is an IBU Executive Board Member, President of the German Ski Federation and former judge of Stuttgart’s high state court, serving as a link between the IBU and Biathlon Integrity Unit Board.

I have been working in sports for almost 50 years in various positions. These include:

·         As a coach in Nordic Combined and Cross-Country skiing for over 20 years

·         as President of a regional Ski Association,

·         as Vice President of the German Ski Association for over eight years

·         and subsequently, as President of the German Ski Association for nine years.

As a lawyer and former judge, I have also been repeatedly entrusted with sports law and sports ethics issues. Since the founding of the German National Anti-Doping Agency, I have been a member of the NADA Legal Commission and a member of the advisory board of the German Sports Law Association for many years.

“For me, a clean and fair sport comes first. In order to contribute to this, I am happy to participate as a liaison member between IBU Executive Board and BIU Board.

“I believe the BIU Board’s greatest accomplishment to date is to have built an operational, full-time workforce within the BIU, under the leadership of Greg McKenna, that is able to focus more on strategic objectives.

“I still see the biggest challenges for the BIU lying in the fight against doping, and it remains important to find new ways to combat doping. But prevention is also particularly important. Of course, there are also other threats, such as match fixing. Currently, we are not aware of any cases in biathlon, nevertheless you have to be aware of its dangers. Finally, safeguarding is also an extremely important issue.

“Sport is very important to me. It’s an integral part of my life, and I am still active in sport, four to five times a week. I believe that sport plays an important role in both physical and mental health.”

Greg McKenna – Head of Biathlon Integrity Unit

Greg McKenna is a former Senior Law Enforcement Officer from the UK. He has significant experience leading major investigations into serious and organised crime.

“Prevention is always better than cure, so the work I have done previously with communities to avert young people from becoming involved in crime does assist. I also have significant experience in gathering intelligence. Understanding the biathlon family and identifying any potential risks are of vital importance, as this informs the type of education we deliver, as well as any investigative measures that may be required.

“A long time ago, whilst working as a police officer in a deprived area of the UK, I saw the level of influence sportspeople had on young people who had limited support and, often, no role models in their lives. They had little choice but to look to those involved in sport for inspiration. When I saw this role advertised, I felt that my law enforcement experience could contribute, both in supporting young athletes, and also in developing future sports role-models.

“We have so much more work to do in this area. However, we have begun to build an element of trust within the biathlon family. For me, if the BIU is to be successful, we must build trust across the sport.

“The most important developments at the BIU since its launch have been a more focused sample collection and testing process, which with improved intelligence will continue to improve.

“The biggest integrity threat to biathlon is the lethargy or reluctance of members of the biathlon family that prevents them from coming forward and reporting any wrongdoing.

“My own sporting values were formed by role models in my life, such as my father and the football coach of my youth team. Both of them were clear that hard work and respect for others were key attributes not only for my role within the team, but also as part of a wider community.”

Who are we and what do we do? BIU launches new video explaining its mission

The BIU has launched a new video that explains what it is, how it works and how it can help athletes and all members of the Biathlon Family.

The video can be viewed here.

The video explains that the goal of the BIU, which was set up over two years ago, is to create a safe and fair environment for everybody involved in Biathlon.

To achieve this, the BIU:

·         has an established team of experts in investigation, data handling, education and prevention, and anti-doping processes;

·         takes responsibility for combating doping and results manipulation, and for all other integrity-related matters;

·         is operationally independent from the International Biathlon Union, which means it is not influenced by those involved in running Biathlon. The focus of the BIU’s decision-making is to ensure the safety of those involved in Biathlon and to maintain the integrity of the sport.

What’s next for the BIU? The video explains that the Unit:

·         wants to improve its understanding of the issues confronting Biathlon;

·         wants to ensure that the Biathlon Family has full trust in the BIU and its work;

·         wants to prevent any member of the Biathlon Family from committing violations.

The video says that the BIU aims to get there:

·         by being available to offer advice to all members of the Biathon Family: through its website; by telephone; via its secure whistleblowing portal; or in person at one of its events;

·         by spending time understanding the Biathlon community’s concerns and answering their questions;

·         by using the feedback from all involved in Biathlon to improve its communications, education and investigation programmes.

The video concludes that integrity is a team game, and urges all involved in the sport to work together to protect the Biathlon Family.

Greg McKenna, Head of the BIU, said: “More than two years into our mandate, we took the decision that it was time to remind the Biathlon Family of our mission, by restating our goals and displaying the roadmap we’re using to reach our destination.

“It’s important to stress that we’re not there yet. Integrity in sport is a constantly-evolving issue and only by engaging with all members of the Biathlon Family can we ensure that all of Biathlon’s stakeholders can have confidence that ethical issues in our sport are being addressed independently and expertly.”

Season round-up 2021-22

2021-22: a season of milestones for the BIU – with more to come

The 2021 to 2022 season consolidated the BIU’s status as an active, committed and effective guardian of the integrity of the sport of biathlon, as it celebrated its second anniversary in November 2021.

This was achieved through excellent engagement with the sport’s community of athletes and teams, despite face-to-face restrictions caused by the continuing Covid epidemic.

Throughout the competition season, the BIU implemented a robust anti-doping testing programme, intensifying it in the run-up to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which were held from 4 to 20 February 2022.

The number of samples taken between May 2021 and the start of the games exceeded 1,300, and the BIU co-operated closely with the International Testing Agency during the Games

One innovation during the season was a co-operation agreement with Sweden’s National Anti-Doping Organisation to make use of its drug detection dog Molly during the IBU World Cup event in Östersund on 21 December, 2021 – the first time Molly had been used at one of our biathlon events.

In an exclusive interview  with the BIU, Clare Egan, Chair of the IBU Athletes´Committee,argued that doping is “not necessary, and I’m an example of that,” pointing to her “breakout” season when she had the fastest course time in one of the IBU World Cups, as a clean 31-year-old athlete. “If I can do that, truly anyone can,” she said.

Athletes and others involved in biathlon can help maintain the sport’s integrity through becoming whistleblowers, and the BIU made a short film encouraging participants to become its eyes and ears and report anything that doesn’t look right – even when they might think it’s not worth reporting. The film can be found here. 

Earlier in the year, the IBU launched its new Safeguarding Policy, which the BIU helped to promote among athletes through a short distributed via YouTube, and which the BIU will help the National Federations to implement in their daily work

The BIU also ran an information campaign on match-fixing in co-operation with the IOC ahead of the Beijing 2022 Games. Through a series of posts on Instagram  and other social media, the BIU aimed to alert biathletes to the dangers of competition manipulation.

The BIU held its Annual Webinar on Anti-Doping and Safeguarding during IBU Youth and Junior World Championships, while more education sessions and webinars are planned for the forthcoming spring and summer period.

The achievements and ambitions of the BIU, as it reached its second anniversary, were set out in greater detail in a podcast interview with Greg McKenna, head of the BIU, which can be found here.

Looking back at the 2021-22 season, Greg McKenna said: “Our second full winter season of operation has demonstrated to me why our work in support of our athletes and the Biathlon Family is so important. Watching our Athletes’ incredible efforts on the track, coupled with the complete devotion I have witnessed from the coaches and technicians, is seldom seen in other aspects of life. As the BIU, we are driven to ensure that such efforts are not compromised by cheats. A vital target for the Biathlon Family is the assurance of complete integrity within our sport. So, please remember, if you are aware of something which you feel is wrong, continue to come forward and tell us.”

Note to Editors

The Biathlon Integrity Unit is an operationally independent and specialised unit of the International Biathlon Union. It was established in 2019 in order to ensure all of Biathlon’s stakeholders can have confidence that ethical issues in the sport will be addressed independently and expertly.

Anti-doping testing intensified ahead of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

The Biathlon Integrity Unit intensified its anti-doping testing programme ahead of next month’s Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games (4 to 20 February), based on a detailed risk assessment followed by targeted testing.

This means that the BIU has been taking into account physical performance data of athletes, together with specific nation risks and other intelligence factors.

Targeted testing was based on this risk assessment, along with constant observation and intelligence gathering.

A test distribution plan was then implemented in collaboration with National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs), taking into account their own test distribution plans.

The BIU has been working in close co-operation with the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the run-up to the Games, with all samples taken being held securely in long-term storage for possible re-testing at a later date.

Throughout the disruption caused to sport by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, the BIU has continued its testing programme, with only a small (10-per-cent) reduction in the number of samples taken at the height of the pandemic and consequent lockdowns in 2020.

This is partly attributable to the flexibility and hard work of the BIU’s partners, including NADOs and service providers, which were quick to develop their COVID-related protocols

The total number of samples taken between May 2021 and now is 1,343.

Greg McKenna, head of the BIU said: “The Winter Olympic Games are first and foremost a sporting event, but with such widespread visibility they also provide an important platform for our Biathlon Family to demonstrate the importance of integrity, fair play and safe sport. Cooperating with our partners from the IOC and ITA, the BIU have worked hard to ensure that any risks to fairness or safety are significantly reduced.”

Note to Editors

The Biathlon Integrity Unit is an operationally independent and specialised unit of the International Biathlon Union. It was established in 2019 in order to ensure all of Biathlon’s stakeholders can have confidence that ethical issues in the sport will be addressed independently and expertly.

Are you ready for the IBU’s Safeguarding policy to take effect on 1st January?

“We are determined to lead by example and to ensure that high good governance standards are achieved across our sport – from the IBU through to the National Federations. It is not about ticking boxes but about delivering meaningful improvements that will benefit biathlon and give our athletes, fans and all our stakeholders complete trust in our sport.” – Statement by IBU President Ohle Dahlin.

The IBU’s Safeguarding policy comes into force on 1 January, 2022.

·        Are you prepared?

·         Do you know what the policy says?

·         Do you know what to do in the event of a safeguarding incident?

CLICK HERE to watch a short VIDEO on SAFEGUARDING.

Safeguarding in sport is the process of protecting children and adults from harm by providing a safe space in which to play sport and be active. The policy aims to create a safe, supportive and healthy environment for the biathlon family.

The IBU defines Safeguarding as our collective action, taken to promote the welfare of everyone in Biathlon and protect them from harm, harassment and discrimination, ensuring every member of the Biathlon family has fun, in a safe environment, with equal opportunities.

The IBU’s Safeguarding policy can be found here. This document applies to everyone involved in Biathlon.

Implementing the policy

We in the global Biathlon family are all responsible for helping to implement the Safeguarding policy. Strong personal values, supported by a robust education and communication framework provided by the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) and National Federations will ensure the wellbeing of everyone in the sport.

In particular, the IBU depends on the support of National Federations to ensure that the policy is established as the reference point for the behaviour of everyone in the Biathlon family. The BIU is available to help and support NFs in implementing the policy.

NFs are responsible for:

·         Adopting and implementing a Safeguarding policy

·         Identifying, collating, and adhering to applicable national and local laws regarding safeguarding

·         Appointing necessary safeguarding officials

·         Informing about the safeguarding policies to all stakeholders and promoting good safeguarding practices

·         Providing appropriate training opportunities to all the stakeholders regarding the safeguarding policies and procedure

·         Appointing a Safeguarding officer, who:

o   Supervises the processes (information dissemination, reporting, investigation etc.) as described in this Policy at the NF/MO level

o   Receives reports/complaints regarding safeguarding violations/incidents.

·         Appointing an Event Safeguarding Officer, who:

o   Is responsible for ensuring that the safeguarding policy is enforced and maintained at the events and competitions at NF/MO level

o   Acts as the first point-of-contact for anyone in need during the events and competitions.

Filing a Report/Complaint

Complaints and reports about possible safeguarding incidents can be filed:

·         Through reporting form available

·         Or by email/phone/post

·         Using assistance of Athlete Safeguarding/Support Counsel

·         To the nearest/closest Protection/Welfare/Safeguarding Officer (if off-season)

·         To the Event Safeguarding Officer (if during competition/event)

·         Anonymously, if necessary, though sharing details with the BIU here, helping it to investigate better.