Biathlon - wikipedia Biathlon Not to be confused with duathlon or biathle. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2009 ) Biathlon Biathletes in the shooting area of a competition Highest governing body International Biathlon Union Characteristics Team members Single competitors or relay teams Mixed gender Yes Equipment Skis, poles, rifle Presence Olympic 1924 ( military patrol ) 1960 ( officially ) The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race where the contestant with the shortest total time wins. Depending on the competition, missed shots result in extra distance or time added to the contestant 's total skiing distance or time. Contents 1 History 2 Governing body 3 Championships 4 Rules and equipment 4.1 Basic concepts 4.2 Skiing details 4.3 Shooting details 5 Competition format 5.1 Individual 5.2 Sprint 5.3 Pursuit 5.4 Mass start 5.5 Relay 5.6 Mixed relay 5.7 Team ( obsolete ) 6 Broadcasting 7 Biathlon records and statistics 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links History According to Encyclopædia Britannica, the biathlon `` is rooted in the skiing traditions of Scandinavia, where early inhabitants revered the Norse god Ullr as both the ski god and the hunting god ''. In modern times, the activity that developed into this sport was an exercise for Norwegian people that was an alternative training for the military. Norwegian skiing regiments organized military skiing contests in the 18th century, divided in four classes : shooting at mark while skiing at top speed, downhill race among trees, downhill race on big hills without falling, and a long race on flat ground while carrying rifle and military pack. In modern terminology these military contests included downhill, slalom, biathlon, and cross-country skiing. One of the world 's first known ski clubs, the Trysil Rifle and Ski Club, was formed in Norway in 1861 to promote national defense at the local level. 20th century variants include Forsvarsrennet ( the military contest ) -- a 17 km cross-country race with shooting, and the military cross-country race at 30 km including marksmanship. The modern biathlon is a civilian variant of the old military combined exercise. In Norway, the biathlon was until 1984 a branch of Det frivillige Skyttervesen, an organization set up by the government to promote civilian marksmanship in support of national defense. In Norwegian, the biathlon is called skiskyting ( literally ski shooting ). In Norway there are still separate contests in skifeltskyting, a cross-country race at 12 km with large - caliber rifle shooting at various targets with unknown range. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was contested at the Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and then demonstrated in 1928, 1936, and 1948, but did not regain Olympic recognition then because the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules. During the mid-1950s, however, the biathlon was introduced into the Soviet and Swedish winter sport circuits and was widely enjoyed by the public. This newfound popularity aided the effort of having the biathlon gain entry into the Winter Olympics. The first Biathlon World Championship was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. At Albertville in 1992, women were first allowed in the Olympic biathlon. The competitions from 1958 to 1965 used high - power centerfire cartridges, such as the. 30 - 06 Springfield and the 7.62 × 51mm NATO, before the. 22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge was standardized in 1978. The ammunition was carried in a belt worn around the competitor 's waist. The sole event was the men 's 20 kilometres ( 12 mi ) individual, encompassing four separate ranges and firing distances of 100 metres ( 330 ft ), 150 metres ( 490 ft ), 200 metres ( 660 ft ), and 250 metres ( 820 ft ). The target distance was reduced to 150 metres ( 490 ft ) with the addition of the relay in 1966. The shooting range was further reduced to 50 metres ( 160 ft ) in 1978 with the mechanical targets making their debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Governing body In 1948, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon ( UIPMB ) was founded, to standardise the rules for the biathlon and the modern pentathlon. In 1993, the biathlon branch of the UIPMB created the International Biathlon Union ( IBU ), which officially separated from the UIPMB in 1998. Presidents of the UIPMB / IBU : 1947 -- 1949 : Tom Wiborn ( Sweden ) 1949 -- 1960 : Gustaf Dyrssen ( Sweden ) 1960 -- 1988 : Sven Thofelt, ( Sweden ) 1988 -- 1992 : Igor Novikov ( USSR / Russia ) Since 1992 : Anders Besseberg ( Norway ) Championships The following articles list major international biathlon events and medalists. Contrary to the Olympics and World Championships ( BWCH ), the World Cup ( BWC ) is an entire winter season of ( mostly ) weekly races, where the medalists are those with the highest sums of World Cup points at the end of the season. Biathlon at the Winter Olympics Biathlon World Championships Biathlon World Cup Biathlon Junior World Championships Rules and equipment Prone position : Sylvie Becaert, Antholz 2010. Standing position : Raphaël Poirée ( left ) and Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Antholz 2006. The complete rules of the biathlon are given in the official IBU rule books. Basic concepts A biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski through a cross-country trail system whose total distance is divided into either two or four shooting rounds, half in prone position, the other half standing. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant 's total skiing distance / time. The contestant with the shortest total time wins. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets or receive a penalty for each missed target, which varies according to the competition rules, as follows : Skiing around a 150 - metre ( 490 ft ) penalty loop -- typically taking 20 -- 30 seconds for elite biathletes to complete, depending on weather and snow conditions. Adding one minute to the skier 's total time. Use of an extra cartridge ( placed at the shooting range ) to hit the target ; only three such extras are available for each round, and a penalty loop must be done for each target left standing. In order to keep track of the contestants ' progress and relative standing throughout a race, split times ( intermediate times ) are taken at several points along the skiing track and upon finishing each shooting round. The large display screens commonly set up at biathlon arenas, as well as the information graphics shown as part of the TV picture, will typically list the split time of the fastest contestant at each intermediate point and the times and time differences to the closest runners - up. Skiing details In the Olympics, all cross-country skiing techniques are permitted in the biathlon, allows the use of skate skiing, which is overwhelmingly the choice of competitors. The minimum ski length is the height of the skier minus 4 centimetres ( 1.6 in ). The rifle has to be carried by the skier during the race at all times. Shooting details The biathlete carries a small - bore rifle, which weighs at least 3.5 kilograms ( 7.7 lb ), excluding ammunition and magazines. The rifles use. 22 LR ammunition and are bolt action or Fortner ( straight - pull bolt ) action. The rifle must weight more than 3.5 kilograms. Each rifle holds 4 magazines with 5 rounds each. Additional rounds can be kept on the stock of the rifle for a relay race. The target range shooting distance is 50 metres ( 160 ft ). There are five circular targets to be hit in each shooting round. When shooting in the prone position, the target diameter is 45 millimetres ( 1.8 in ) ; when shooting in the standing position, the target diameter is 115 millimetres ( 4.5 in ). On all modern biathlon ranges, the targets are self - indicating, in that they flip from black to white when hit, giving the biathlete, as well as the spectators, instant visual feedback for each shot fired. Competition format Individual The 20 kilometres ( 12 mi ) individual race ( 15 kilometres ( 9.3 mi ) for women ) is the oldest biathlon event ; the distance is skied over five laps. The biathlete shoots four times at any shooting lane, in the order of prone, standing, prone, standing, totaling 20 targets. For each missed target a fixed penalty time, usually one minute, is added to the skiing time of the biathlete. Competitors ' starts are staggered, normally by 30 seconds. Sprint The sprint is 10 kilometres ( 6.2 mi ) for men and 7.5 kilometres ( 4.7 mi ) for women ; the distance is skied over three laps. The biathlete shoots twice at any shooting lane, once prone and once standing, for a total of 10 shots. For each miss, a penalty loop of 150 metres ( 490 ft ) must be skied before the race can be continued. As in the individual competition, the biathletes start in intervals. Pursuit Olympic gold medalists Olga Zaitseva and Andrea Henkel at the World Cup pursuit race in Oberhof, 2013. Main article : Pursuit racing In a pursuit, biathletes ' starts are separated by their time differences from a previous race, most commonly a sprint. The contestant crossing the finish line first is the winner. The distance is 12.5 kilometres ( 7.8 mi ) for men and 10 kilometres ( 6.2 mi ) for women, skied over five laps ; there are four shooting bouts ( two prone, two standing, in that order ), and each miss means a penalty loop of 150 metres ( 490 ft ). To prevent awkward or dangerous crowding of the skiing loops, and overcapacity at the shooting range, World Cup Pursuits are held with only the 60 top ranking biathletes after the preceding race. The biathletes shoot on a first - come, first - served basis at the lane corresponding to the position they arrived for all shooting bouts. Mass start In the mass start, all biathletes start at the same time and the first across the finish line wins. In this 15 kilometres ( 9.3 mi ) for men or 12.5 kilometres ( 7.8 mi ) for women competition, the distance is skied over five laps ; there are four bouts of shooting ( two prone, two standing, in that order ) with the first shooting bout being at the lane corresponding to the competitor 's bib number ( Bib # 10 shoots at lane # 10 regardless of position in race ), with the rest of the shooting bouts being on a first - come, first - served basis ( If a competitor arrives at the lane in fifth place, they shoot at lane 5 ). As in sprint and pursuit, competitors must ski one 150 metres ( 490 ft ) penalty loop for each miss. Here again, to avoid unwanted congestion, World Cup Mass starts are held with only the 30 top ranking athletes on the start line ( half that of the Pursuit as here all contestants start simultaneously ). Relay The relay teams consist of four biathletes, who each ski 7.5 kilometres ( 4.7 mi ) ( men ) or 6 kilometres ( 3.7 mi ) ( women ), each leg skied over three laps, with two shooting rounds ; one prone, one standing. For every round of five targets there are eight bullets available, though the last three can only be single - loaded manually one at a time from spare round holders or bullets deposited by the competitor into trays or onto the mat at the firing line. If after eight bullets there are still misses, one 150 m ( 490 ft ) penalty loop must be taken for each missed target remaining. The first - leg participants start all at the same time, and as in cross-country skiing relays, every athlete of a team must touch the team 's next - leg participant to perform a valid changeover. On the first shooting stage of the first leg, the participant must shoot in the lane corresponding to their bib number ( Bib # 10 shoots at lane # 10 regardless of position in race ), then for the remainder of the relay, the relay team shoots on a first - come, first - served basis ( arrive at the range in fifth place, shoot at lane 5 ). Mixed relay The most recent addition to the number of biathlon competition variants, the mixed relay is similar to the ordinary relay but the teams are composed of two women and two men. Legs 1 and 2 are done by the women, legs 3 and 4 by the men. The women 's legs are 6 kilometres ( 3.7 mi ) and men 's legs are 7.5 kilometres ( 4.7 mi ) as in ordinary relay competitions. In 2014, single mixed relay was introduced by the IBU. Each team has a man and a woman, and each runs two 3.0 kilometres ( 1.9 mi ) legs, except the last leg where the man completes 4.5 kilometres ( 2.8 mi ) for a total 13.5 kilometres ( 8.4 mi ). This event was first held at the Biathlon World Championships 2005 in Khanty - Mansiysk, and it was added to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Team ( obsolete ) A team consists of four biathletes, but unlike the relay competition, all team members start at the same time. Two athletes must shoot in the prone shooting round, the other two in the standing round. In case of a miss, the two non-shooting biathletes must ski a penalty loop of 150 m ( 490 ft ). The skiers must enter the shooting area together, and must also finish within 15 seconds of each other ; otherwise a time penalty of one minute is added to the total time. Since 2004, this race format has been obsolete at the World Cup level. Broadcasting Biathlon events are broadcast most regularly where the sport enjoys its greatest popularity, namely Germany ( ARD, ZDF ), Austria ( ORF ), Norway ( NRK ), France ( L'Équipe 21 ), Finland ( YLE ), Estonia ( ETV ), Latvia ( LTV ), Lithuania ( LRT ), Croatia ( HRT ), Poland ( Polsat ), Sweden ( SVT ), Russia ( Russia - 2, Channel One ), Belarus ( TVR ), Slovenia ( RTV ), Bosnia and Herzegovina ( BHRT ), Bulgaria ( BNT ), and South Korea ( KBS ) ; it is broadcast on European - wide Eurosport, which also broadcasts to the Asia - Pacific region. World Cup races are streamed ( without commentary ) via the IBU website. The broadcast distribution being one indicator, the constellation of a sport 's main sponsors usually gives a similar, and correlated, indication of popularity : for biathlon, these are the Germany - based companies E. ON Ruhrgas ( energy ), Krombacher ( beer ), and Viessmann ( boilers and other heating systems ). United States biathlete Jeremy Teela at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Biathlon records and statistics The IBU maintains biathlon records, rules, news, videos, and statistics for many years back, all of which are available at its web site. See also Biathlon World Cup Biathlon World Championships List of Olympic medalists in biathlon Paralympic biathlon Biathlon 's two sports disciplines : Cross-country skiing ( sport ) Rifle shooting sports Other multi-discipline sports ( otherwise unrelated to biathlon ) : Duathlon Nordic Combined Triathlon Pentathlon Modern pentathlon Heptathlon Decathlon Chess boxing Omnium ( track cycling ) Notes Jump up ^ Bergsland, Einar ( 1946 ) : På ski. Oslo : Aschehoug. Jump up ^ Bø, Olav : Skiing throughout history, translated by W. Edson Richmond. Oslo : Samlaget, 1993. ^ Jump up to : Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon ( Encyclopedia of Sports ), Oslo : Kunnskapsforlaget, 1990 Jump up ^ https://snl.no/skifeltskyting Jump up ^ `` Biathlon : a sport on the cutting edge ''. olympic.org. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : IBU Congress ( 2014 ), IBU Event and Competition Rules ( PDF ), archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2016 - 03 - 03 Jump up ^ `` Competition format and rules : Biathlon, as of January 2018 '' ( PDF ). 2018. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ Even in English - speaking countries such as Canada and the United States each country may use different terms for the same thing in biathlon. For example : Stage ( USA ) vs. Bout ( Canada ), Shooting Point ( USA ) vs. Shooting Lane ( Canada ) Jump up ^ To be precise ; the pursuit competition start intervals are determined by common rounding to the nearest whole second of the biathletes ' time differences from the previous race -- the amount of time each biathlete lagged after the winner to the finish line. Jump up ^ Startseite - www.biathlonworld.com Jump up ^ IBU ( 2016 ). `` The Biathlon Family ''. biathlonworld.com. International Biathlon Union. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 11. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Biathlon. Biathlonworld.Com -- A cooperation between IBU and EBU ; with race results / statistics, TV schedules, live competition results, and so on. Belarusian Biathlon Union ( in Russian ) Russian Biathlon Union ( in Russian ) Russian Biathlon Union ( in English ) Biathlon Canada U.S. Biathlon Association U.S. Archery Biathlon History of Biathlon Veltins Biathlon World Team Challenge Biathlon on OLN TV Biathlon on DVD Biathlon Russia Biathlon Ukraine ( in Ukrainian ) Biathlon Ukraine ( in English ) BiathlonFrance.com Biathlon history ( in Russian ) Popular Norwegian site ( in Norwegian ) Winter Olympic sports Alpine skiing Biathlon Bobsleigh Cross-country skiing Curling Figure skating Freestyle skiing Ice hockey Luge Nordic combined Short track speed skating Skeleton Ski jumping Snowboarding Speed skating See also : Paralympic sports and Summer Olympic sports Skiing and snowboarding History of skiing Nordic skiing Competitive Cross-country skiing Paralympic Ski jumping Ski flying Nordic combined Endurance Ski marathon Ski orienteering Ski touring Recreational Cross-country skiing Backcountry skiing Roller skiing Skijoring Alpine skiing Olympic disciplines Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined Other disciplines Extreme skiing Glade skiing Heliskiing Para-alpine skiing Speed skiing Other skiing Biathlon Indoor skiing Night skiing Ski archery Ski mountaineering Telemark skiing Freestyle skiing Aerial skiing Freeriding Freeskiing Half - pipe skiing Mogul Ski ballet Ski cross Slopestyle Snowboarding Alpine Backcountry Big air Freeriding Freestyle Half - pipe Slopestyle Snowboard racing Snowboard cross Technique / learning Carved turn Jump turn Parallel turn Pivot turn Snowplough Stem christie Ski school Ski simulator Snowboard tricks Equipment / venues Bindings Boots Half - pipe Superpipe Helmet Monoski Poles Skins Skis Snowboard Suit Wax Resorts / amenities Chairlift Dry ski slope Gondola lift Piste Ski lift Ski tunnel Snow grooming Snowmaking Surface lift Trail Category : Skiing Category : Snowboarding GND : 4145226 - 4 NDL : 00871195 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biathlon&oldid=839203327 '' Categories : Biathlon Multisports Winter Olympic sports Cross-country skiing Racing Rifle shooting sports Military sports Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from June 2009 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Norwegian - language text Articles containing French - language text Articles with Russian - language external links Articles with Ukrainian - language external links Articles with Norwegian - language external links Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Azərbaycanca Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Interlingue Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latviešu Lietuvių Limburgs Livvinkarjala Magyar Македонски მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Олык марий Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Plattdüütsch Polski Português Qaraqalpaqsha Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt West - Vlams 粵語 中文 59 more Edit links This page was last edited on 1 May 2018, at 23 : 15. 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Question: what do they shoot in the winter olympics
Answer: circular targets