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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. |
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The BBU is a
full member of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the British
Olympic Association (BOA) National Olympic Committee (NOC), and UK Sport. |
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The BBU is
funded almost entirely by sponsors, by
the IBU, by the Army Winter Sports Association or by the athletes themselves. There is no
financial support from The BOA, 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. |
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The BBU trains
and selects male and female athletes to represent GBR at
Olympic, World and IBU Cup (formerly European Cup). The BBU runs a
National Development Squad (NDS). In the past there have also been Paralympic
athletes, but there are none at present, and all Paralympic biathlon
is now covered by the British Paralympic Association (BPA). Nearly all biathletes in
Great Britain are serving members of the Armed Forces, and the Army is
effectively our main sponsor. |
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The
British
National Championships take place in Ruhpolding, Germany, in
January, where the National Squad also trains.
The NDS courses are held at
East Grange Biathlon Centre in
Kinloss (07811 380438).
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The BBU is run on a voluntary basis
by the BBU Board. We pay for a "part time" Secretary General
and a German Wax Technician "on the circuit" in winter. The Army kindly provides a second
Team Coach. Development
Courses are contracted out to East Grange BC, supported by Army
coaches. 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! |
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