Alexander Ivanovich Tikhonov (Russian: Александр Иванович Тихонов; born 2 January 1947) is a former Soviet-Russian biathlete.

On 23 July 2007, he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to three years of imprisonment, but he was amnestied immediately and did not spend any time in prison.

[7][8] In May 2002, after Tikhonov fled to Austria to avoid trial for conspiracy to commit murder, he was chosen as vice president of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the sport's governing body.

[9] His presence at the 2010 Winter Olympics troubled many of biathlon's leaders, who said Tikhonov's conviction for trying to arrange a murder damaged the image of the sport.

"[9] IBU President Anders Besseberg said Tikhonov's conviction and amnesty created a "difficult and tricky" situation.

[15] In 2000, he was accused by prosecutors of participating in planning the assassination of western Siberian Kemerovo Oblast governor Aman Tuleyev.

His younger brother hired two potential killers from an organized crime group to commit the murder-–Vladimir Kharchenko and Sergey Nikanorov, who Russian media reported were promised $700,000.

[9][1][16] Alexander Tikhonov, was charged and arrested in August 2020, but was released from custody a month later when he claimed he was unwell—with an order to remain in Russia.

[18] Leonid Tyagachev, president of the Russian Olympic Committee from 2001 to 2010, approved of his amnesty, opining: "The person who has devoted all his life to Russia can't be guilty of anything.