UBI is the official mascot of the BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand

When it came to choosing a mascot for the French stage of the Biathlon World Cup, the question arose as to whether it should be an animal emblematic of the local fauna: a marmot, a cow… until, during a reconnaissance visit to the Grand-Bornand international biathlon stadium in 2011, a stoat emerged from a low wall to stare down at the delegation from the top of its small, motionless, upright body… before darting away as fast as lightning! Speed and precision: these are the qualities required of the biathletes who will soon be competing in the Bornand arena. And so UBI was born, both an anagram of IBU (for International Biathlon Union) and a diminutive of Hubert, a common first name in Germany…