The long-serving IBU Technical Delegate Othmar Kaelin has passed away on 29 August 2024 in Switzerland. An ex-elite athlete, Kaelin was influential in establishing the IBU Technical Committee as the backbone of numerous far-reaching rules and competition changes that made biathlon one of the most popular winter sports.
Othmar Kaelin competed as an athlete for the Swiss team at the 1967 Biathlon World Championships. He later moved to the support team and was the shooting coach of the Swiss CISM team for many years. Othmar represented the first generation of judges from the beginning of the UIPMB. In 1994, he passed the IBU Technical Delegate exam in Portorož. Until 2005, he was active in various positions in the IBUTD group. From 2005 - 2009, he worked as the first full-time materials controller at the IBU World Cup and the IBU World Championships.
Robert Zwahlen, another retired Swiss legend from the IBU TD team, remembers:
"The “little Schwyzer” - as he was often called - was considered an excellent, humorous, and welcome buddy in the biathlon family. He was always available when needed, tackling any task regardless of his responsibilities. Othmar lived for the sport of biathlon. What remains unforgettable for many is his dry, humorous manner, as he always tried to create a good atmosphere in the team. The sport of biathlon was always close to his heart. Whether it was as a coach, as an organizer, as an IR, or as a TD, his commitment was always entirely in the spirit of the sport. Even as an IBU retiree, he remained a big fan of biathlon until the end of his life."