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.
Skiing is a means of transport using skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup are ongoing.
Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Recreational disciplines include cross-country skiing and Telemark skiing.
Algeria sent a delegation to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy from 10 to 26 February 2006. The nation had participated in the Winter Olympics only once previously, in 1992. The delegation consisted of two athletes, Christelle Laura Douibi in alpine skiing and Noureddine Maurice Bentoumi in cross-country skiing. Douibi's 40th-place finish in the women's downhill was Algeria's best finish in these Olympics.
Kikkan Randall is an American, Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, made 29 podiums on the World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual American woman at the World Championships, second in the Sprint in Liberec in 2009. She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title. She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and in 2013 teamed up with Jessie Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.
The Nordic combined events have been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The first competition involved 18 km cross-country skiing, followed by ski jumping.
Brazil sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, held from 12–28 February 2010. The Brazilian team consisted of five athletes competing in three sports.
Brazil sent a delegation to compete at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, held between 7–16 March 2014. This marked the country's first entry into the Winter Paralympic Games. Brazil sent two athletes, snowboarder Andre Pereira in Alpine skiing and Fernando Rocha in cross-country skiing. The country's best performance in any event was 15th, achieved by Rocha in the 15 km sitting competition.
The 4 × 5 kilometre cross-country skiing event was the only relay event of the women's cross-country skiing programme at the 1984 Winter Olympics, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. It was the eighth appearance of the 4 x 5 km relay in the Winter Olympics. The competition was held on Wednesday, February 15, 1984 at Veliko Polje, Igman.
The sport of cross-country skiing encompasses a variety of formats for cross-country skiing races over courses of varying lengths according to rules sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and by various national organizations, such as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Ski Canada. International competitions include the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, and at the Winter Olympic Games. Such races occur over homologated, groomed courses designed to support classic (in-track) and freestyle events, where the skiers may employ skate skiing. It also encompasses cross-country ski marathon events, sanctioned by the Worldloppet Ski Federation, and cross-country ski orienteering events, sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. Related forms of competition are biathlon, where competitors race on cross-country skis and stop to shoot at targets with rifles, and paralympic cross-country skiing that allows athletes with disabilities to compete at cross-country skiing with adaptive equipment.
The women's 15 kilometre skiathlon cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 10 February 2018 at 16:15 KST at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Charlotte Kalla of Sweden finished first to win the first gold medal of the 2018 Winter Games. The defending champion Marit Bjørgen finished second. For her, this was the eleventh Olympic medal, making her the most successful female cross-country skier. Krista Pärmäkoski took bronze.
The men's 50 kilometre classical cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 24 February 2018 at 14:00 KST at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Pakistan sent a delegation to contest at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from February 9 to 25, 2018. This was Pakistan's third appearance at a Winter Olympic Games. The Pakistani delegation consisted of two athletes: alpine skier Muhammad Karim and cross-country skier Syed Human. As of the close of these Olympics, Pakistan has yet to win a Winter Olympics medal.
The women's 30 kilometre classical cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 25 February 2018 at 15:15 KST at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It became the final event of the 2018 Winter Olympics before the Closing Ceremonies.
The men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay cross-country skiing competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 18 February 2018 at 15:15 KST at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The Women's 3 × 5 kilometre relay cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing programme at the 1972 Winter Olympics, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the fifth appearance of the event. The competition was held on 12 February 1972, at the Makomanai Cross Country Events Site.
The Women's 4 × 5 kilometre relay cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing programme at the 1976 Winter Olympics, in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the sixth appearance of the women's relay event and the first to have a team of four skiers, instead of three. The competition was held on 12 February 1976, at the Cross Country Skiing Stadium.
The Women's 4 × 5 kilometre relay cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing programme at the 1988 Winter Olympics, in Calgary, Canada. It was the ninth appearance of the women's relay event. The competition was held on 21 February 1988, at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
The World Triathlon Winter Championships is a winter triathlon championship competition organised by World Triathlon. The competition has been held annually since 1997. Unlike normal triathlon races the winter triathlon discipline takes place in snow-covered terrain. The snow therefore means the normal disciplines of swimming and road cycling do not take place, instead the championship typically involves running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing.
