The International Biathlon Union (IBU) is the international governing body for the Olympic sport of biathlon. Headquartered in Anif bei Salzburg, the IBU is a non-profit organisation registered in Austria that regulates the sport and oversees the competition organisation worldwide. In cooperation with its 61 member National Federations (NFs), the IBU uses competitions, events, programmes and other activities to promote and develop participation in biathlon globally.
is Sweden’s innovation hub for sports & outdoor. Its network spans academia, industry, and organisations with connections to industries regionally, nationally, and internationally. Today, Peak 63 is one of the few organizations in Northern Europe that offers innovation, sustainability and snow expertise aimed specifically at the sports and outdoor/sport industry. Peak 63 helps individual companies, organisations, and sport federations with their sustainability challenges. It currently facilitates the sustainability networks for the Scandinavian Outdoor Group and the European Outdoor Group as well as the Sustainable winter sports network for the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry.
is concerned with the use, development, and protection of natural and urban spaces. The focus of its research is on solving problems concerning responsible use of landscapes and forests and promoting a prudent approach to natural hazards, especially those common in mountainous countries. WSL occupies a leading position internationally in these research areas. They also provide groundwork for sustainable environmental policies in Switzerland. Through the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), it engages in research and scientific services with focus on snow, avalanches, other alpine natural hazards, permafrost, and mountain ecosystems. The research group on Winter Sports and Climate investigates snow management and snow farming, develops snow cover models and works on snow climatological analyses and scenarios.
a 100% company owned by the Swedish Biathlon Federation which represents one of the leading member organisations of the International Biathlon Union when it comes to addressing sustainability and the environmental impact of the sport. Thanks to a regional commitment by their home region of Jämtland-Härjedalen to be fossil fuel free by 2030 since 2017, the Swedish Biathlon Federation and its event arm Svenskt Skidskytte AB have been very focused on reducing their climate impact for the last five years. However, their national operations cover the entire country of Sweden where regionally different priorities and strategies also impact the operational aspects of their work.
is the national governing body of the sport of biathlon in Poland. Like in most Central European nations, most of the Polish snow sports venues are located at a relatively low altitude and hence directly subject to the impacts of climate change. The most modern venues are being built to be equipped to respond to the challenges of climate change however these challenges are often multiplied at smaller and less developed training and competition venues.
is faced with completely different climatological challenges in its operational activities. Compared with the other national governing bodies (NGBs) in the project, the SZS successfully manages a full spectrum of snow sports, a total of eight disciplines, seven of which are represented in the Olympic Winter Games. As recently as in 2020, Slovenia hosted the IBU World Championships in biathlon in Bled/ Pokljuka which set a new milestone when it comes to focusing on sustainable events in the region.
is an international non-profit headquarted in Switzerland whose vision is to facilitate the transition to sustainable sport and tourism in the mountains. The SMA provides a collaborative platform that identifies and supports inspirational, innovative solutions and a regenerative economy in the mountains, the most sensitive environment to climate change. Recognising that the snow sport industry is transitioning and adapting to climate change, the SMA’s engagement in the project is to ensure that sustainable solutions are identified and shared with the international snow sports community.
