Learning for the new job: Peter Sendel is the new Competition Secretary
He is an important contact person for the teams, issues the start number bibs before the competitions and has to be on the spot if something creates problems: Peter Sendel is the
new Competition Secretary of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon 2025 in Oberhof - and is experiencing the major event from an entirely new perspective.
Peter Sendel is impressed. ‘As an athlete and coach, you naturally know that a World Cup is a big story. But I didn't expect how many people are there to help and how much each individual person has to know. You get a lot of respect. For me, it's very exciting,’ says the 52-year-old. He is working as competition secretary at the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon 2025 in Oberhof and is therefore for the first time involved in the structures of the organizing committee. He was involved in the preparations, got to know many new faces and is also gaining new experiences every day during the four World Cup days. ‘You're bombarded with thousands of things, where I first have to catch my breath and check my cheat sheets. It might not go as quickly as for someone who is doing it for 20 years, but I make a big effort,’ he says and laughs.
A real gain
His boss, on the other hand, is full of praise. ‘It was a great decision to integrate him. He is a great help and a real support. The internationals are very satisfied as well,’ says competition manager Mario Milde-Apel, who is assisted by Peter Sendel. Peter Sendel had a deep look into the books for the job and completed a training as an international referee. ‘I actually had to cram, even though I know about biathlon,’ he admits. The former athlete, who was known as a secure shooter, knows the sizes of the targets inside out, but not the measurements of the white paper around them. ‘To be honest, I was never interested in that. Now I need to know,’ he says.
Examination with the race director
He took the exam in October last year with the race director of the International Biathlon Union, Borut Nunar. Three blocks of 25 questions each had to be answered in writing. ‘The woman who took the exam with me knew everything by heart. Funnily enough I didn't, but I managed it,’ he says.
Peter Sendel can look back on a successful career. At the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano (Japan), he became Olympic champion in the relay. Four years later, at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (USA), he secured the silver medal with the team. At World Championships, he collected two complete sets of medals.
New youth academy in Oberhof
After his active career, which he ended in December 2004, he became a coach at the Olympic Training Center [NK1] Thuringia in Oberhof and coached for two decades the women's B squad. ‘After the 2023/24 season, I handed over the training group and have been part of the German Ski Association's shooting task force since then. I can now take myself the time for each individual shooter, which is often not available during normal training. I've also founded the DSV Biathlon Academy,’ explains the federal soldier.
With his expertise at the gun, he is fine-tuning the performance at the shooting range - from junior to senior athletes - and supports the athletes, after the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon 2025 in Oberhof amongst others during the upcoming European Championships in Martell (Italy).