US Biathlon moves its administrative headquarters from Maine to Midway

USA Biathlon athletes competing at Midway's Soldier Hollow, their new administrative home-to-be. Photo: Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (Facebook)

NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine – The United States Biathlon Association announced yesterday that it will relocate its headquarters from New Gloucester, Maine to Midway, Utah following an extensive search process and approval from the Board of Directors.

As the sport of biathlon grows, the presence of U.S. Biathlon is also expanding. To strengthen its support and presence nationally, and extend the strong community relationships it has established in Lake Placid, NY and Bozeman, MT, and other communities across the country, U.S. Biathlon is relocating its headquarters to Midway, Utah – home to Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games venue for biathlon and Nordic skiing.

Lake Placid will remain the home of the U.S. Biathlon National Team and the Olympic Regional Development Authority will continue to host the team at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, and Bozeman will remain the home of the U.S. Biathlon Junior National Team and U.S. Biathlon Paralympic Team. New England and Maine have been instrumental in the growth of biathlon, and remain important areas of the biathlon community with the world-class venue in Fort Kent that will host the 2024 US Biathlon National Championships and other key biathlon clubs including Ethan Allen and Craftsbury.

“We are excited to expand our footprint westward and join the Utah Olympic community. Our presence in Midway directly supports our 2030 strategic plan to grow the sport of biathlon in the United States, recruit and develop top talent and support our athletes on their journey to the Olympic podium,” said U.S. Biathlon President & CEO Jack Gierhart in a statement. “We are looking forward to engaging with the greater Heber Valley and Utah community and expanding our support of the vibrant and growing biathlon communities around the country.”

With a western home base, U.S. Biathlon is committed to growing its presence through tapping into already prominent Nordic skiing communities and introducing the sport to a new generation of athletes, generating interest that will help grow biathlon development programs and bring world-class international events to the United States. The International Biathlon Union considers the U.S. as a key market for growth and U.S. Biathlon’s expansion is directly aligned with IBU’s goal to double participation in the sport.

The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation has invested purposefully in the growth of its cross-country and biathlon programs and connection to the Heber Valley community. Currently, Team Soldier Hollow and the Soldier Hollow Charter School program combine for over 500 local kids engaging in cross-country skiing at least twice per week during the winter. While engaging the local community, Soldier Hollow will also welcome top biathletes from across the globe when it hosts the IBU World Cup in March 2024.

“Welcoming U.S. Biathlon’s headquarters to Utah and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center aligns our organizations’ goals and objectives – including expanding interest and participation in biathlon, and supporting U.S. Biathlon’s goal of competitive excellence at the highest levels of the sport,” Luke Bodensteiner, general manager of Soldier Hollow, said in the statement. “We look forward to providing Soldier Hollow’s world-renowned trails and grooming, world-class shooting range and roller ski trail, and our new competition and training center to these Team USA athletes. Their presence will inspire Soldier Hollow to build upon and reach a new level of providing exemplary Nordic skiing experiences, resources and facilities to our local community.”

Soldier Hollow Nordic Center has welcomed dozens of world-class international events since the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games – including the 2019 IBU World Cup, 2022 IBU Youth and Junior World Championships, 2023 FIS Para Nordic World Cup and is scheduled to host the 2024 IBU World Cup. U.S. Biathlon will gain extensive exposure being at the center of these world-class international events.

“Establishing the United States Biathlon Association headquarters in our state will strengthen Utah’s commitment to its Olympic and Paralympic legacy,” Jeff Robbins, Utah Sports Commission president and CEO, said in the statement. “Since the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Utah has evolved into The State of Sport as we continue to welcome the world’s greatest athletes and events and become home to now four National Governing Bodies’ headquarters: U.S. Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating, USA Climbing, and now U.S. Biathlon.”

“Soldier Hollow, Lake Placid and Bozeman are cornerstones of our program, each having the means, venues and passionate staff necessary to host world-class events and act as regional hubs for biathlon,” Bob Hall, U.S. Biathlon Board chairman, said in the statement. “Having a presence in each community will allow us to continue supporting the development and growth of our athletes and enable the pursuit of our aspirational 2030 plan.”

As the Olympic sports organization centered around the sport of biathlon, the United States Biathlon Association, known as U.S. Biathlon, is recognized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as the National Federation for biathlon in the United States. Founded in 1980, U.S. Biathlon exists to support and encourage the development of biathlon in the United States, to work with biathlon clubs and regional centers around the country to organize training and competition from the grassroots to elite level, and to prepare athletes for international competition. U.S. Biathlon staffs and finances the U.S. Biathlon national and junior national teams and is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization.