Biathlon
Channel: all the knowledge of the universe PRINCIPIA
Date: 2021-12-08

Biathlon, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=4405 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Biathlon
#Multisports
#Winter_Olympic_sports
#Cross-country_skiing
#Racing
#Rifle_shooting_sports
#Military_sports
#Sports_originating_in_Norway
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds.
The shooting rounds are not timed per se, but depending on the competition, missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant's total.
Norwegian ski-soldier （Drawing published in 1811）.
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 into 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 a 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, Trysil Skytte- og Skiløberforening （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 marksm...