The inaugural Biathlon Partner Summit 2025 concluded yesterday, marking a significant milestone in fostering collaboration and innovation for the advancement of biathlon as laid out in the IBU’s strategic plan Target 2030.

Bringing together leading sports and marketing experts with the IBU’s National Federations and commercial partners, the event offered a robust exchange of industry-leading knowledge, thought-provoking insights, and networking opportunities.

Held over two days alongside the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Finals in Holmenkollen, the attendees shared best practises, discussed innovative ideas, and created valuable new connections.

The Summit opened with a presentation by Anders Linden of Tango, which set the scene of the first day by defining concepts of partnerships and why they are vital for growth. In the following panel, IBU’s Main Sponsor Bauhaus and three NF partners explored the values driving their collaborations and how they create mutual benefit. Afterwards, the National Federations of Sweden, Norway, and Germany as well as athletes Regina Ermits (Estonia) and Campbell Wright (USA) joined to exchange on best practises, insights, and shared valuable ideas on partnership activation.

Building on the perspectives of partners, NFs and athletes, the agenda focussed on another key player in two presentations: “Understanding our fans.” First, data-driven sports marketing agency Two Circles presented eye-opening insights from their study on Gen Z biathlon fans with clear action items. General Sports Worldwide then followed with an analysis of global fan interactions with biathlon over the course of the last two decades, deepening the understanding of the sport’s marketing potential.

The afternoon of Day 1 was dedicated to learning from and being inspired by industry experts from other federations, sports, and entities.

The team captain and manager of the Norwegian Esports Federation discussed their sport’s growth and its partnerships, followed by thought-provoking sessions on the future of golf as an indoor sport (TGL) with Marius Thorp, and digital trends based on best practises in Formula 1 delivered by Atle Gulbrandsen. Giuliano Giorgetti, FIFA’s Head of Media Business Development, and Glen Killane, Executive Director of Sport at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), offered rich insights on global media, digital, and broadcasting developments and innovations. The day concluded with a presentation on virtual advertising technology by IBU marketing partner Infront.

The second day focussed on developments within biathlon and the IBU, including the federation’s digital strategy, sustainability, and Para Biathlon, before the Summit concluded with the delegates attending the Sprint competitions of the World Cup Finals.

Photo: Manzoni/IBU