Conrad Electronic has been appointed the official timing and electronics partner of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon, marking the company’s first major sponsorship in international winter sport. The collaboration, brokered by Infront — the exclusive long-term marketing partner of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) — will begin with the 2025/26 season and run across ten events in nine European countries.
The move positions Conrad not only as a supplier of performance-grade electronics to event organisers, but as a visible technical brand within a sport that commands exceptional viewership. According to German broadcaster ZDF, biathlon events last season attracted an average of 3.28 million viewers, equating to a 28.5% national market share — higher than any other winter sport in Germany.
Ralf Bühler, CEO of Conrad Electronic, said the partnership reflects a natural alignment between the precision of elite sport and the company’s engineering focus. “At Conrad, we believe in the power of people and technology working together in unison — which applies to ski trails, shooting range and the efficient sourcing of technical supplies. Our brand and biathlon match up perfectly,” Bühler said.
For the IBU, the agreement strengthens the technical backbone of its events. “Quality equipment and precision are the backbone of our sport,” said Olle Dahlin, President of the International Biathlon Union. “Conrad becoming a partner means that we’ll benefit from their vast experience in these areas. Moreover, we also share the same views when it comes to innovation and continuous improvement.”
Michael Witta, Senior Vice President of Marketing Sales & Services at Infront, added that the collaboration demonstrates the IBU’s intent to keep biathlon “moving forward as a sport,” with Conrad helping “strengthen the technology side and boost the events at several levels.”
The partnership follows Conrad’s visible presence at the Loop One Festival in Munich in October 2025, an off-season biathlon showcase that drew around 65,000 spectators. The event — which featured elite athletes competing on roller skis around the Olympiapark — exemplified the sport’s push to engage audiences beyond the snow season. Bühler described it as a sign of the pace of change: “Who knew that biathlon doesn’t need snow? This bold and innovative project shows that the world changes at breakneck pace, and that it is up to us to find new ways to help shape this change.”
For Conrad, the sponsorship underscores its evolution from a traditional electronics retailer into a European B2B sourcing platform. “These days, we are a partner that provides digital infrastructure for industrial sourcing,” Bühler said. “We don’t just sell products. We help businesses implement digital procurement processes — and that on a large scale all across Europe.”
The collaboration will formally commence at the World Cup opener in Östersund, Sweden, at the end of November 2025 — marking the start of a partnership designed to fuse sporting precision with industrial capability.
