OC meeting ahead of 2021/2022 season

The International Biathlon Union on 17-19 September 2021 hosted a meeting of the Organising Committees (OC) in Bled, Slovenia. Representatives from 22 OCs attended the meeting which focused on preparations for the upcoming 2021/22 season and the OCs’ central role in ensuring the sport fulfills its vision and long-term strategic objectives.

IBU President Olle Dahlin, who opened the three-day meeting, praised the OCs for their resilience and flexibility in ensuring last season was a great success, despite the challenges of COVID-19, and stressed the critical contribution OCs can make in helping biathlon reach its full potential in the years ahead.

Building on the success of last season, there was a presentation on season planning and event logistics for 2021/22 and beyond. The delegates were provided with an overview of the major changes to the new Media & Marketing Contracts and also heard how revenues would be used to provide support to OCs for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

With the implementation of the IBU’s strategic plan, Target 26, well underway, the OCs heard a report on the findings from the Target 26 Working Group on fan engagement at IBU events. The IBU is committed to developing innovative initiatives to further enhance the experience for fans at its events.

On Saturday afternoon, the OCs were split into two groups with one group attending a workshop on the new IBU digital ecosystem and the other attending a workshop on sustainability at future IBU events. The two groups then swapped.

The meeting concluded with individual meetings between OCs and the IBU officials/departments.