BIU holds two sessions at IBU-IOC development camp
The BIU contributed two theoretical training sessions – one for athletes and one for coaches – at an IBU-IOC development camp in Antholz, Italy on 14 October.
The event was one of a series of training camps held for National Federations each year by the IBU, in conjunction with the IOC, with the aim of supporting them with both practical and theoretical knowledge and training.
The BIU contributed two theoretical training sessions – one for athletes and one for coaches – at an IBU-IOC development camp in Antholz, Italy on 14 October.
The event was one of a series of training camps held for National Federations each year by the IBU, in conjunction with the IOC, with the aim of supporting them with both practical and theoretical knowledge and training.
Athletes’ session
The session involved basic anti-doping education, including an interactive quiz in which athletes could test their knowledge.
Coaches’ session
Coaches were presented with information on safeguarding and its importance in Biathlon, which included group discussions on case studies.
After the coaches’ session, Martina Seidl, a youth coach from Ruhpolding (GER) and Olympic Champion, commented: “For me, as a coach of youth athletes, safeguarding is very important and, in my opinion, it fell short in past education in many federations.
“As coaches we have a duty to take care of our athletes as well as we can and provide them with a safe setting while training and competing. Safeguarding education helps to deal with different cases, discuss them and find solutions and/or support.”
Katharina Gatterer, Safeguarding and Education Manager at the BIU, added: “Safeguarding is quite a new topic for many, so I was extremely pleased with the coaches’ active participation in the discussion.
“They seem to have understood that their role goes beyond simply improving their athletes’ performances, and that they need to act when they feel something is not right. Our next step is to inform athletes about their right to train and compete in a safe sport environment.”
Another session is planned for the second edition of the camp in Martell, Italy on 26 November to 3 December, as the BIU continues its mission to support athletes and coaches in all integrity related matters.
Biathlon Integrity Certificate
Beginning with the first event of the 2022-23 season, all Biathlon team staff members (including coaches, medical personnel and technicians) participating in any IBU event (Junior Cup, IBU Cup, World Cup) must hold a ‘Biathlon Integrity Certificate’ issued by the BIU.
The purpose of the certificate is to ensure that everyone dealing with athletes has a basic knowledge of integrity and anti-doping matters.
They should also be aware of the influence their words and actions can have over athletes, and know their obligations under the IBU Integrity Code.
A certificate can be obtained by completing a short online course, which can be found here.
The course is available in three languages (English, Russian and German) and will take between 45 and 60 minutes to complete.
The course is divided into three main modules:
1) Safeguarding and Integrity (definition of safeguarding, how to recognise signs of abuse and how to react);
2) Basic information on anti-doping;
3) Your role as Athlete Support Personnel and your influence on athletes’ behaviour and attitudes.
After completing the course, participants have to upload the certificate (valid for two seasons) to the IBU Membercenter.
Save the date
At 16.00 CET on 5 October, the BIU and IBU will jointly host a webinar on functions of the Membercenter, with an opportunity for participants to ask questions.
For more details on the Biathlon Integrity Certificate, contact:
Lucie Rothauer
BIU Prevention Manager
Katharina Gatterer
BIU Safeguarding and Education Officer
Safeguarding Workshop
During the recent 15th Ordinary IBU Congress in Salzburg, the BIU held a well-attended and informative workshop on safeguarding.
The aim was to discuss relevant safeguarding issues in Biathlon, and the workshop began with a short presentation defining safeguarding and its importance in Biathlon. NFs’ obligations under the IBU Safeguarding Policy were also discussed.
This introduction was followed by round table discussions with NFs, with the aim of answering two main questions:
1. What are the potential / present risk factors or safeguarding issues in your sporting community?
2. What do you as NFs need from BIU to further advance your safeguarding efforts?
NFs generally agreed that there is a need for education for coaches / personnel dealing with athletes, but also for athletes themselves, as they are sometimes unsure of which behaviours are and are not acceptable.
It also emerged that, while good educational material is often available within a country / federation, distributing the material in order to stimulate discussion within the Biathlon community can be problematic.
During the workshop, Sara Studebaker-Hall (USA) and Heather Ambery (CAN) presented insights and good practices from their respective countries. Both countries have centres dedicated to Safe Sport: https://uscenterforsafesport.org/ and https://www.cces.ca/. These also serve as contact points for the Biathlon federations. Sara and Heather concluded that collecting feedback from team members is important (ideally by an independent reviewer), and that it is also crucial for federations to have a responsible person (with necessary training) to deal with safeguarding matters.
The BIU was delighted with the level of interest and the lively discussion provoked by the workshop.
For more details, contact:
BIU Safeguarding and Education Officer Katharina Gatterer – [email protected]
Spotting the signs of overtraining
What is overtraining and how can you make sure to avoid it?
As a biathlete, you often need to push your limits to reach your athletic goals. At this time of year especially, with the new season just around the corner, many biathletes intensify their training loads.
But more isn’t always better.
There’s a thin line between training hard enough and training too hard. When you don’t give your body the rest and recovery it needs, you risk overtraining. Too much training without sufficient recovery can hinder your progress and lead to a decline in performance.
Common symptoms are not only physical, but can also be emotional and behavioural.
Look out for these signs:
· Long-term decline in sports performance
· Unusual muscle soreness, even after lower exercise intensity
· Decreased motivation to train or compete
· Moodiness
· General tiredness/fatigue; lack of energy
· Decreased quality of sleep
· Loss of appetite
· Irregular menstrual cycles; missing periods
· Increased occurrences of illness
· Increased blood pressure and at-rest heart rate
· Excessive weight loss.
One or more of these symptoms could indicate that you are overtraining.
Overtraining can be hard to spot before it becomes a problem, so it is very important to pay close attention and listen to your body.
What can you do to avoid overtraining?
· Make sure that you eat and drink properly
· Get a good night’s sleep
· Talk to your coach about balancing training with time for recovery; and let them know when you don’t feel great.
It’s hard to fully recover from overtraining. It can require weeks or months without working out. For an elite athlete, that could mean the end of their career.
Make sure it’s not you!
Competition manipulation outreach
The BIU conducted a quiz among athletes and support personnel at the SBWCH in Ruhpolding to provide information on the risks of match-fixing.
Competition manipulation or match-fixing is defined as an intentional act to unfairly change the course or the outcome of a sports competition. One of the BIU’s tasks is to make sure it does not happen in Biathlon.
The aim of the outreach programme was to provide information and education on the risks of competition manipulation, using a quiz format.
The quiz aimed to reinforce the four main rules relating to match-fixing:
· Don’t fix
· Don’t bet
· Don’t disclose inside information
· Report any match-fixing suspicions
The quiz comprised six case studies of potential competition manipulation or match-fixing, and participants were asked to choose whether or not a variety of actions by athletes and/or support personnel were in breach of the rules.
In all, more than 100 biathletes and coaches from 24 countries took part in the quiz over the four days, signing a ‘wall’ to show that they had participated.
The BIU was delighted at the high level of interest shown by participants, and in most cases their awareness of the risks of competition manipulation.
However, two questions in particular showed that some participants were uncertain over some aspects of match-fixing:
· Only 58% of participants knew that betting on biathlon competitions is forbidden for anyone involved in biathlon.
· In the case study that produced the highest number of wrong answers, an athlete told her best friend about an injury to a teammate before it was publicly announced. Almost 40% of respondents said that this is not competition manipulation. However, disclosing inside information to anyone outside the team, even to a good friend, is, in fact, against the rules.
Participation in the quiz enabled BIU staff members to engage directly with athletes and support personnel to correct these errors and explain the rationale behind the rules.
Although the main topic of the outreach was competition manipulation (match-fixing), everyone was welcome to ask any questions about other integrity issues such as anti-doping and safeguarding at the BIU booth.
The quiz can be found here.
For more information on competition manipulation, check out BIU’s short video.
It’s Quiz Time!
On the 28th and 30th of July, BIU is hosting a quiz on Instagram
Please see below the terms and conditions for the prize draw of the Biathlon Integrity Unit´s Instagram Quiz in July 2022.
1. The promoter is: Biathlon Integrity Unit, whose registered office is at Sonystraße 20, 5081 Anif b. Salzburg
2. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 years or above, except employees of the Biathlon Integrity Unit and their close relatives (direct relatives in ascending or descending line as well as other second and third-degree relatives), and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
3. No fee and no purchase are necessary to participate in this competition.
4. By participating in this competition, you are indicating your agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
5. The competition will run on two days: 28 and 30 July 2022. After this date, no further participation in the competition will be possible.
6. This contest is in no way affiliated with Instagram.
7. The rules of the competition and how to participate are as follows:
8. Open your Instagram account, go to the Biathlon Integrity Unit´s Channel (@biathloniontegrity) and answer the quiz questions on the Instagram stories of July 28th and July 30th 2022.
9. The prize for the competition is a pair of Julbo Sunglasses (value approx. €80). The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered.
10. The winners are the three participants who have given the most correct answers accross both days of the competition. In case of a tie, the winners will be chosen randomly from a list of the participants who gave the most correct answers by the Promoter. There is no recourse regarding this decision.
11. The winner will be notified via Instagram within 7 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
12. The promoter´s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competion will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
13. The promoter reserves the right to exclude any participant from the competition in case of a breach of these terms and conditions, in particular in case of unlawful manipulation of the competition.
14. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by Austrian law (excluding its conflicts of law rules and CISG) and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the territorially and materially competent court of Austria. You are also entitled to have disputes arising out of the competition settled through alternative dispute resolution, provided that the dispute fulfills the requiremens thereof (for example requirements pertaining to time and value). We undertake to contribute to alternative dispute resolution with customers under the law of dispute resolution in customers relations. Relevant body for dispute resolution in Austria is: Verbraucherschlichtung Austria, Mariahilfer Straße 103/1/18, 1060 Vienna; www.verbraucherschlichtung.at/
15. The winners acknowledge that, when organizing the competition, the promoter has a vested interest in using the winners´names, as well as the fact of their entry into the competition in any publicity material, and agree with such use. Such agreement may be withdrawn at anytime, leading also to withdrawal from competition. Any other personal data relating ti the winners or any other participants will be used solely in accordance with current Austrian data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the participant´s prior consent.
16. The promoter shall not be liable for any damages arising from slight negligence of the Program Entities or their staff or employees, or forany incidental or consequential damages (Folgeschäden) not expressly covered by Austrian tort law. The promoter´s liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct, for any damages arising from death or personal injury is not limited.
17. You are provididng your information to the Biathlon Integrity Unit and not to any other party. The information provided will be used in conjunction with the following Privacy Policy found at biathlonworld.com
Importance of the coaches’ role
BIU to give presentations at IBU Academy Coach Education course
The BIU will contribute modules on ‘Anti-Doping and Integrity Matters’ and ‘Ethics and Welfare in Biathlon’, beginning next week, as part of a one-year online course for Biathlon coaches being run by the IBU Academy.
During the first week of live teaching, taking place in Ruhpolding, Germany between 22 and 25 May, Lucie Rothauer, the BIU’s Prevention Manager, will give a presentation on ‘Anti-Doping and Integrity Matters.
The presentation will discuss the importance of the coaches’ role in the field of Anti-Doping with the participants, and provide information about some case studies and examples of Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).
The presentation underlines the crucial role played by coaches in helping to prevent doping, stressing that coaches are the ones with daily contact with athletes, answering their questions and providing role models for young athletes.
Part of the coach’s role is to teach young athletes the values of fair sport.
Coaches have certain rights and responsibilities, the presentation will go on to say. They must:
· know and comply with all Anti-Doping policies and rules that apply to them and the athletes they support;
· use their considerable influence on athletes’ values and behaviour to promote a clean sport philosophy;
· cooperate with the athlete-testing programme;
· cooperate with Anti-Doping Organizations investigating ADRVs.
Coaches also play an important role in doping control. They are expected to:
· facilitate doping control;
· help Doping Control Officers gain access to their athletes;
· educate athletes about doping control procedures;
· know the steps in the doping control process;
· make sure there is a representative available for the athlete;
· and ensure that athletes are up to date with their medication, Therapeutic Use Exemptions and Dietary Supplements.
Lucie Rothauer, the BIU’s Prevention Manager, said: “Coaches are role models for their athletes. That’s why we need to support and educate them in the best possible way so they can then teach their athletes the values of fair sport!”
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.
Whistleblowing – BIU’s Reporting System
BIU and Athlete Ambassador for Integrity Matters Anastasiya Merkushyna produce whistleblowing video
The goal of the Biathlon Integrity Unit is to work for a safe and fair environment for everybody involved in biathlon.
But we can’t do it alone. We need the help of the biathlon family to identify and, if necessary, prosecute wrongdoing in our sport.
This is where the role of the whistleblower is critical. Athletes, coaches, administrators – in fact anyone involved in biathlon – can help us by becoming our eyes and ears and reporting something that doesn’t look right.
Athletes often think that something isn’t worth reporting. But whether they saw it at training, or heard it at a competition, no piece of information is useless. It can all fit together into a ‘jigsaw puzzle’ that tells us more than they might think.
We’ve made a short video, with the help of Anastasiya Merkushyna, IBU World Championship medallist and one of our athlete ambassadors, explaining our whistleblowing process.
Whistleblowing is the right thing to do because we’re all responsible for making sure that biathlon is a clean, fair and safe sport for everyone, Anastasiya says.
And it’s not just about doping, she continues. We should report anything that’s not right, including match-fixing or results manipulation, safeguarding issues such as bullying or sexual harassment, and betting on biathlon, which is not allowed for athletes.
The BIU’s reporting system for wrongdoing is completely confidential, Anastasiya concludes. No one will know if you become a whistleblower.)
The video’s message is simple. Whistleblowing can lead not only to prosecution, but to improvements in education and supporting measures for athletes.
So if you see or hear something that isn’t right: report it – and turn the negative into a positive!
Click here to watch the video.
Click here to report wrongdoing.
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.
Competition Manipulation Risks
BIU focuses on competition manipulation risks in run-up to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
The Biathlon Integrity Unit has begun a new drive to educate athletes about the risks of competition manipulation, or match-fixing, in the run-up to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which begin on 4 February.
Through a series of posts on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/biathlonintegrity/) and other social media, the BIU aims to alert biathletes to the dangers of competition manipulation.
With less than a month until the start of the Beijing 2022 Games, the campaign runs alongside and reinforces the IOC’s Prevention of Competition Manipulation initiative which is being shared through its Athlete 365 portal.
The BIU’s campaign addresses athletes directly, urging them to protect the integrity of sport, their careers, and their reputation by remaining true to themselves and remembering these four rules:
1. Don’t fix
What exactly is competition manipulation, or match-fixing? It happens when athletes intentionally underperform or lose on purpose, including to benefit a teammate or friend. Fixing can occur in numerous ways. If you engage in match fixing or competition manipulation, you are killing the spirit of sport. As an athlete, you must always do your best and uphold the values expected of you.
2. Don’t bet
Betting on your sport or the Olympic Games goes against the rules on competition manipulation and is forbidden. Competitions are monitored and acts of betting are met with heavy sanctions. The risk isn’t worth the reward. There are serious consequences associated with sports betting. Placing bets, sharing information that can be used to place bets, or fixing competition can end your career.
3. Don’t share information
Never share information about health issues or sports tactics. This information may be used by others to manipulate competition. Always make the right decision by respecting the rules and reporting suspicious behaviour you see.
4. Speak up!
What would you do if you were asked to cheat? It’s a scenario that’s all too common for many athletes. If you find yourself in that situation, be smart. Think hard about the consequences it could have on you, your career, and your sport. Make the right decision by speaking out and reporting the incident. You have a responsibility to report competition manipulation. If you witness or suspect competition manipulation, you must report it. Biathletes can report wrongdoing here.
Overall, the BIU’s message to biathletes is:
‘Competition manipulation threatens years of hard work, dedication, and commitment. Protect the integrity of biathlon by remaining true to yourself’.
Greg, McKenna, head of the BIU, added: “Although Biathlon is not currently considered to represent a high risk of competition manipulation, we should all continually work to ensure our competitions are fair, with unpredictable outcomes. The Biathlon Family must understand the rules regarding competition manipulation, especially the fixing of results or betting on Biathlon. Rest assured, the BIU will work very hard to identify any form of manipulation of results.”
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.
