Strategic Alliance Information

U.S. Biathlon will retain its status as a USOPC-recognized National Governing Body for biathlon under the Ted Stevens Act and maintain its membership with the IBU as the National Federation for biathlon in the United States. Biathlete representatives will continue to sit on the Team USA Athlete Commission. The U.S. Biathlon Board will remain responsible for all governance matters and ensuring there are policies and procedures for conducting business with integrity. The board's responsibility is to act in the best interests of USBA, which means board members have a duty of loyalty, care and obedience in making decisions for the organization. A new Biathlon Sport Committee will be established within U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS). The Biathlon Sport Committee, and related subcommittees, will provide biathlon leadership and expertise, budget review and approval, and work with the USSS leadership and biathlon staff to develop plans, strategies, and policies for the development and operations of biathlon and to assist U.S. Ski & Snowboard in the operation of the biathlon programs consistent with IBU regulations.The Biathlon Sport Committee will include biathlon community representation including members from the existing biathlon board, 33% athlete representation, and a XC Sport committee member. 2 members of the Biathlon Sport Committee will have seats on the USSS Governance Board and will have a direct voice within the U.S. Ski & Snowboard's governance structure.

Yes, U.S. Biathlon will remain a separate legal entity. It will retain its own corporate existence, financials, and independent audit. U.S. Ski & Snowboard will manage U.S. Biathlon’s day-to-day operations. Under a services agreement, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will be responsible for operations, programs, events, and administration for biathlon under terms and conditions approved by the USBA Board to ensure it is meeting its governance responsibilities.

The Strategic Alliance will provide greater financial stability and significantly more resources for biathlon over the next four years. Compared to our current trajectory, biathlon will receive a minimum of $3.3 million in additional resources over the next four years through increased grants, reduced operating costs, and increased sponsorship revenue. This estimate does not include potential growth in donor support through the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation's professional fundraising infrastructure and broader donor network.

Importantly, all funding generated for biathlon will remain dedicated exclusively to biathlon. Under U.S. Ski & Snowboard's established "ring-fenced" model, biathlon will maintain its own budget, financial reporting, accounts, and independent audit, with donor contributions, program revenue, and future USOPC and IBU funding restricted to biathlon programs and athlete support. The Strategic Alliance provides increased investment and financial stability that will allow biathlon to build on its momentum, strengthen athlete and program support, and position the sport for continued growth well beyond the initial four-year period.

U.S. Biathlon will retain ownership of its brand assets, continuing to utilize the U.S. Biathlon logo, and maintain biathlon-specific communications and social media channels, while blending biathlon content across the broader USSS communications platforms and target audiences.

Athlete representation will remain a key part of both biathlon governance and national team operations. Under the Strategic Alliance, the current U.S. Biathlon Board will designate members (including 33% athlete representation) to sit on the Biathlon Sport Committee. The committee chair and one athlete representative will serve on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Governance Board, and biathlon will continue to have representation on the Team USA Athlete Council. At the national team level, athletes will select an athlete liaison to provide regular feedback to coaches and leadership on team operations, logistics, culture, and the athlete experience, ensuring that athlete voices remain central to decision-making at every level. The USBA Board will continue to maintain its governance responsibilities. There are also discussions ongoing that were initiated in the working groups, to ensure the voice of the current biathlon AAC is maintained.

The high performance program will remain unchanged, with biathlon retaining its current coaches, coaching structure, European operations, support staff, ski service, partners, and athlete support practices. Recognizing that each sport has unique needs, future high performance collaboration with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, such as in ski service or athlete support, will be developed organically and driven by what best benefits the program. The Strategic Alliance also has the opportunity to provide access to additional athlete resources, including tuition reimbursement, career support, and commercial opportunities.

Yes. The alliance is intended to serve as the long-term operating structure for U.S. Biathlon, supported by ongoing investment, partnership, and accountability. Progress will be evaluated through regular reviews of strategic objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs), including an interim assessment after the 2026-27 season and a comprehensive review following the 2029-30 season. These reviews will assess athlete performance and experience, culture, financial sustainability, sponsorship and donor support, membership and club growth, operational effectiveness, and fulfillment of alliance commitments. If significant challenges arise, the parties will first implement a corrective action plan; only after sustained, unresolved issues may alternative structures be considered, including U.S. Biathlon returning to an independent operating NGB.  Any transition will be designed and executed to protect athletes, competitive opportunities, funding relationships, and compliance with USOPC and IBU requirements.

Yes, and additional opportunities are being explored and recommendations are being developed by the sports development working group. Areas including scheduling coordination, domestic event expansion, joint development camps, infrastructure development, pro team expansion, coach development and simplifying membership and club administration have been identified by the community as areas where Strategic Alliance can have a positive impact. This is an important area where the long-term impact and benefits will be critical but is not an area where all the answers will be available day 1. There will be added resources to expand biathlon development activities, and at least $150,000 in year 1 coming from the incremental resources noted above. The Biathlon Sports Committees and its subcommittees will help drive the impact in this important area. Member benefits, including club insurance will continue.

Discussions around a potential Strategic Alliance began towards the end of 2024, building on existing collaborations between U.S. Biathlon and U.S. Ski & Snowboard and exploring how this work could be expanded to create greater opportunities and benefits for both organizations. It was acknowledged that while informal partnerships and collaboration were beneficial, meaningful progress and true change would require strong commitment and accountability from all parties.  Discussions were paused in mid 2025 to remove any potential distraction in preparation for the 2026 Olympic Games.  Following the Games, the proposed Strategic Alliance was presented to the U.S. Biathlon Board of Directors in March 2026 for formal consideration. The Board subsequently voted to pursue further evaluation of the opportunity and its potential impact on athletes, programs, and the future of biathlon in the United States. Discussions gained additional momentum following a 22% reduction in USOPC funding this spring and the need to identify new opportunities for long-term sustainability and growth that will drive success of the 2030 plan. Through months of conversation, town halls, community feedback, and working group input, the term sheet for this potential Strategic Alliance has evolved to cover all critical elements identified by stakeholders, including continued athlete support, USBA governance responsibilities, maintenance of biathlon brand and identity, guaranteed financial resources and an exit clause if objectives outlined have not been met at the conclusion of the quadrennial.

The entire U.S. Biathlon staff will transition over to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard organization and focus on biathlon, without the distraction of administrative, compliance and regulatory responsibilities as those will be taken up by the resources and personnel within U.S. Ski & Snowboard. U.S. Biathlon staff, including Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke, and Sara Studebaker-Hall, will focus on sport programs, from grassroots development up through high performance – same staff, less distractions, more administrative and community resources. Sara Donatello will continue to be dedicated to biathlon marketing and communications, and have access to significant communication, technology and staffing infrastructure to expand our visibility and reach, and extend the support currently provided to athletes. Additional biathlon development staff and coaching resources will be added, supported by the additional resources available.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard is in the process of hiring additional staff including more mental health professionals and performance professionals, to support the growth in elite athletes.