For the IBU, the Congress in Berchtesgaden represented more than a leadership transition. It provided the first indication of how the reforms and organisational transformation delivered during Olle Dahlin’s eight-year presidency will be carried forward under his successor, Tim Farcnik.

Building on the Dahlin legacy

Farcnik, from Slovenia, was unanimously elected for a four-year term, succeeding Dahlin, with Sofia Domeij elected Vice President and Christian Scherer re-elected Treasurer.

His first comments as President placed continuity firmly at the heart of the next phase.

“Thanks to the work of President Dahlin, the former Executive Board, and everyone in the biathlon family, our sport is in an incredibly strong position.”

Farcnik also identified modernisation, innovation and commercial development as priorities, but significantly added that “governance, integrity and sustainability” must underpin everything the federation does.

That message connects directly with Global Sustainable Sport’s recent feature with Dahlin, which explored how the IBU emerged from the governance crisis he inherited in 2018. An independent integrity unit, term limits, athlete representation, gender quotas, a new constitution and strategic planning became central to rebuilding trust.

As Dahlin told Global Sustainable Sport:

“I think perhaps others are better to characterise it, but I think it is to unify the biathlon family.”

Governance moving forward

The Congress offered evidence that those reforms are becoming embedded institutionally rather than remaining dependent upon an individual president.

Delegates approved the annual reports and Board members of the independent Biathlon Integrity Unit, while receiving an update on Target 2030 as the strategy moves into its second phase. For the first time, the IBU also staged an Open Forum and Q&A ahead of elections, enabling National Federations to question Executive Board candidates about their visions.

Dahlin himself was unanimously appointed IBU Honorary President, recognition of a period in which he consistently stressed that transformation had depended on building the organisation around him, rather than concentrating authority within the presidency.

Purpose extending across biathlon

The Congress also demonstrated how the IBU is seeking to embed purpose throughout its wider community.

Its Awards for Excellence recognised the Estonian Biathlon Federation and Organising Committee Ruhpolding for sustainability, the Brazilian Snow Sport Federation for gender equality, the Biathlon Federation of Ukraine for Biathlon 4 All, and the Czech Biathlon Union and Canadian athlete Adam Runnalls for social media.

Meanwhile, Oestersund was awarded the 2031 IBU World Championships, returning the event to the Swedish city after previous editions in 2008 and 2019.

A strong platform for the next chapter

The transition comes with the IBU firmly established among the leading organisations assessed through the Global Sustainable Sport SPI Index. The federation is currently in the Global Top 25, with a C+ – Purpose Advanced, and ranks second among international federations.

That position reflects the broader transformation highlighted in our interview with Dahlin: governance reform accompanied by investment in people, sustainability, development and organisational capacity.

Farcnik now inherits both the benefits and the challenge of that legacy. The task is no longer to rebuild the IBU from crisis, but to demonstrate that the systems created over the past eight years can continue to evolve under new leadership.