Max Cobb appointed as IBU Secretary General

The IBU today announced the appointment of IBU Executive Board member and US Biathlon President/CEO Max Cobb as IBU Secretary General.

Cobb will start his new role in October and relocate to Salzburg to work full time from the IBU Headquarters. His term as an EB member ends with the IBU Congress (15-18 September 2022) and he will resign as President/CEO of U.S. Biathlon and will not stand for election to the EB or as Treasurer at the IBU Congress.

Cobb brings substantial experience to the role having served in the biathlon family since 1989. He was elected to the IBU Executive Board in 2016 before which he served on the IBU Technical Committee as a member from 2002 and as chair from 2010. As President and CEO of U.S. Biathlon since 2006, Cobb oversaw the federation’s most successful ever period. He also pioneered record-breaking sponsorship deals and digital media and national TV distribution. Ahead of becoming President and CEO, Cobb served a number of key roles including as Chief of Competition for the Olympic Winter Games 2002, marketing director, national programme director and team manager and assistant coach.

IBU President Olle Dahlin said:

“We are delighted to find someone with so much expertise and experience from within the biathlon family. Max has dedicated more than 30 years to the sport and brings significant professional leadership experience as well as a deep understanding of the IBU’s operations. As an EB member he worked closely with the IBU staff on numerous projects and has played a critical role in reforming our sport. Max is well known within the international biathlon family and understands the challenges and opportunities the National Federations face. We have no doubt he will do an excellent job in leading the IBU administration and implementing the next phase of Target 26 as we realise our sport’s full potential.”

Max Cobb said:

“I am honoured to have been appointed as IBU Secretary General at this exciting time for our sport and our federation. I have dedicated much of my life to biathlon and so it is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead such an experienced and talented team to ensure our biathlon athletes worldwide have a fair and productive platform to achieve success. In recent years the IBU has initiated many reforms and significantly extended our federation’s areas of responsibilities. I am looking forward to steering this modernisation process together with the staff in Salzburg and to working with a new Executive Board, our member federations and the biathlon family to make sure that our sport develops and modernises on all levels.”

Share this article

Header iconSign up for our newsletter