The decision comes after the biathlon season drew to a close last month.

The Canadian team struggled throughout the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup campaign as they failed to finish on the podium in any of the nine events on the calendar.

They were also unable to earn a medal of any colour at the IBU World Championships in Hochfilzen in February.

Biathlon Canada general manager Andy Holmwood told Rocky Mountain Outlook that the choice to sever ties with De Nys, whose appointment in October 2015 was greeted with optimism among athletes, was not performance related.

The governing body are hoping to name a replacement for De Nys before May 1, when training for the 2017-2018 season is set to get underway.

De Nys, who had had previously worked as a national team coach with Cross Country Canada, replaced Chris Lindsay after his departure in 2015.

It was hoped the highly-respected figure would spearhead a new era for Canadian biathlon.

But it was  another troubled year for the Canadian team, which saw star athlete Nathan Smith, a double World Championships medallist, miss most of the season due to a virus.

Sarah Beaudry and Macx Davies both decided to cut their respective campaigns short as a result of illness and fatigue.

There were fleeting moments of success for Biathlon Canada, however, as Megan Bankes and Leo Grandbois won gold medals at the World Junior Championships in Osrblie in Slovakia in February.

Bankes topped the podium in the women's 12.5 kilometres individual event and Grandbois took the gold medal in the men's equivalent race.