"You have to turn your weaknesses into your strengths" – Olle Dahlin, President IBU
Olle Dahlin is the newly elected President of the International Biathlon Union (IBU). And he is someone used to winning. In early September, the 13th Regular IBU Congress elected Dahlin with 39 votes to his opponent’s 12.
"You have to turn your weaknesses into your strengths: this is how you’ll win" is his advice to the 2026 Swedish Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid. He explains: "Your strengths are often obvious – they’re not the ones that usually will predict your success – your weaknesses will."
So, what should the Swedish bid focus on?
"Stockholm has an extremely strong bid, no one can deny that. However, what can be said against the Swedes is that we are often too structured and not as passionate as our southern European counterparts, as well as being too honest and too "moderate" – too lagom.
"But time has caught up with, and shown the benefits of, our Swedish mentality. We Swedes are exactly what the Olympic Movement needs right now – we are associated with the value words of ‘honesty’, ‘moderation’ and ‘structure’. What was once considered weakness is now seen as strength and this may just be the most important message of the Swedish bid."
Olle Dahlin is not afraid to stick his neck out: "Winning the bid for an Olympic Games is equivalent to a biathlon competition: staying focused and on your feet until the finish line. And in an eventual final sprint, you take your chances and go for broke. This is relevant to the Swedes, who are often a little too cautious and ‘lagom’: we really need to seize our chance and give it our best shot."
So, what are Sweden’s chances?
"We already have everything we need, and we have proven time and time again that we are leaders in organizing World Championships. We already have the infrastructure, Arlanda airport, the underground, ski jumping… everything needed. And if anyone can balance a budget, it is us.
"What it comes down to is that we must engage and promote the Olympic Movement for approximately eight years. Stability and honesty are wonderful qualities, but there has to be a good portion of passion in there as well. And this is where we are lucky – Swedes are passionate about winter sports. SVT’s Winter Studio on weekend mornings draws in 3 million viewers. That is where our passion lies.
"While other nations get fired up over a chip goal, Swedes get fired up by the lone cross-country skier who excruciatingly rallies on for 50 km, face frozen and wins the race, or the biathlete going head-to-head with an opponent at the last shooting lane. This is where we have our chance. No one can deny that Sweden is a winter country. No one can deny that Sweden and her Scandinavian neighbors love winter sports more than most. And this is what the Swedish bid must make the Olympic Movement understand."
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