The BIU rounded off its Summer of Respect campaign with a three-day outreach programme for athletes and support personnel at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia.

The aim was to provide information and education on respect in biathlon at the Championships between 24 and 26 August, 2023.

The Summer of Respect campaign was initiated to help ensure the integrity of Biathlon by encouraging biathletes to show respect for the things that matter most in our sport.

Respect has been defined as: ‘Treating others as you would want to be treated. This reflects the qualities of being polite, kind, courteous and tolerant of others’ views, cultures and beliefs’ (https://www.i-value.eu/toolkit.html). It also includes respect for yourself and your body, for other people, for rules and regulations, for sport and the environment, according to the International Olympic Committee.

The outreach programme included a quiz and two other activities in relation to respect:

  • A ‘tree’ poster on which athletes and support personnel could write down what respect means to them;
  • A social media challenge, inviting athletes and support personnel to video themselves talking about their own experiences of respect in biathlon, with the best stories winning a prize.

The BIU was delighted at the high level of interest shown by athletes and their support personnel, with more than100 individuals participating in the activities. “Respect the people around you and treat everyone the way you want to be treated” – this is what sums up the athletes’ opinion.

Although the main topic of the outreach programme was respect, 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.