About Us


	The British Biathlon Union (BBU) was formed in 1996. The BBU is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of Biathlon in Great Britain (GBR) and is run by a volunteer Board of Directors on behalf of the athletes and members.

	The BBU is a full member of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the British Olympic Association (BOA) National Olympic Committee (NOC), and UK Sport.

	The BBU is funded almost entirely by sponsors (in particular skandia), by the IBU or by the athletes themselves, with some most welcome, but limited, support from the BOA. There is no financial support from UK Sport, Sport England, Sportscotland or the National Lottery. Our budget is, sadly, only one third of the bare minimum we need to make a real impact on the world scene.

	The BBU trains and selects male and female athletes to represent GBR at Olympic, World and IBU Cup (formerly European Cup). The BBU runs Senior (over 21), Junior and Development squads. (In the past there have also been Paralympic athletes, but there are none at present). Nearly all biathletes in Great Britain are serving members of the Armed Forces, and the Army is our main sponsor, other than Skandia.

	The British National Championships take place in Ruhpolding, Germany, in January, where the National Squad also trains. Some BBU training is held in the UK at the Sportscotland Training Centre at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore. The National Development Squad courses are held at East Grange Biathlon Centre in Kinloss.

	The BBU is run on a voluntary basis by the BBU Board. We pay for a "part time" Secretary General. There is no Team Manager, although the Army provides two Assistant Coaches who support the part time National Coach. Development Courses are contracted out to East Grange BC. Financial constraints mean we have no Performance Director or other paid support staff. We admit this is not an acceptable way to run an Olympic sport!