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.
A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating. In the Olympic Games, there are several types of relay races that are part of track and field. Relay race, also called Relay, a track-and-field sport consisting of a set number of stages (legs), usually four, each leg run by a different member of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass the next runner a stick-like object known as a "baton" while both are running in a marked exchange zone. In most relays, team members cover equal distances: Olympic events for both men and women are the 400-metre and 1,600-metre relays. Some non-Olympic relays are held at distances of 800 m, 3,200 m, and 6,000 m. In the less frequently run medley relays, however, the athletes cover different distances in a prescribed order—as in a sprint medley of 200, 200, 400, 800 metres or a distance medley of 1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 metres.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 14 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over three loops of the 3.3 kilometre skiing course, shooting ten times, five prone and five standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 7.5 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 16 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors raced over three loops of a 2.5 kilometre skiing course, shooting ten times, five prone and five standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 10 kilometre biathlon pursuit competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 18 February, at Cesana San Sicario. Competitors in this biathlon raced over five loops of a 2.0 kilometre skiing course, shooting twenty times, ten prone and ten standing. Each miss required a competitor to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held on 13 February, at Soldier Hollow. Competitors raced over two 3.0 kilometre loops and one 4.0 kilometre loop of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 7.5 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held on 13 February, at Soldier Hollow. Competitors raced over two 2.5 kilometre loops and one 3.0 kilometre loop of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 10 kilometre pursuit biathlon competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held on 16 February, at Soldier Hollow. Competitors raced over four 2.5 kilometre loops and one 2.75 kilometre loop of the skiing course, shooting four times, twice prone and twice standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 20 kilometre individual biathlon competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics was held on 11 February, at Nozawa Onsen. Competitors raced over five loops of a 4.0 kilometre skiing course, shooting four times, twice prone and twice standing. Each miss resulted in one minute being added to a competitor's skiing time.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics was held on 18 February 1998, at Nozawa Onsen. Competitors raced over two 3.0 kilometre loops and one 4.0 kilometre loop of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 4 x 7.5 kilometre biathlon relay competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics 21 February, at Nozawa Onsen. Each national team consisted of four members, with each skiing 7.5 kilometres and shooting twice, once prone and once standing.
The Women's 15 kilometre individual biathlon competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics was held on 9 February, at Nozawa Onsen. Competitors raced over five loops of a 3.0 kilometre skiing course, shooting four times, twice prone and twice standing. Each miss resulted in one minute being added to a competitor's skiing time.
The Women's 4 x 7.5 kilometre biathlon relay competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics 19 February, at Nozawa Onsen. Each national team consisted of four members, with each skiing 7.5 kilometres and shooting twice, once prone and once standing.
The Women's 7.5 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics was held on 23 February, at Birkebeineren Ski Stadium. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics was held on 12 February, at Les Saisies. Competitors raced over three loops of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 7.5 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics was held on 11 February, at Les Saisies. Competitors raced over two 2.5 kilometre loops and one 3.0 kilometre loop of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Women's 3 x 7.5 kilometre biathlon relay competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics 14 February, at Les Saisies. Each national team consisted of three members, with each skiing 7.5 kilometres and shooting twice, once prone and once standing.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics was held on 23 February, at Canmore Nordic Centre. Competitors raced over three loops of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The Men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1984 Winter Olympics was held on 14 February, at Igman - Veliko Polke. Competitors raced over three loops of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing. Each miss was penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
The men's 10 kilometre sprint biathlon competition at the 1980 Winter Olympics was held on 19 February, at Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Biathlon Center. In sprint, competitors race over three loops of the skiing course, shooting two times, once prone and once standing, with each miss being penalized by requiring the competitor to race over a 150-metre penalty loop.
