biathlon

Athletic competition that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship. Basic equipment consists of cross-country skis, poles, and boots, and bolt-action (nonautomatic) rifles.

The course (defined in metric terms) is usually 20km/12.5 mi long and follows terrain that is uphill, downhill, and level (with approximately equal distances of each). Between the 5th km/3rd mi and the 18th km/11th mi there are 4 stations, at which the biathlete must fire 5 shots at targets that vary from 100 m/110 yd to 250 m/275 yd away. Firing positions alternate between prone and standing.

In standard team competition, a team's score is the total corrected time (penalties are imposed for missed targets) of the team's 3 leading entrants. The typical biathlon relay is a 4-person, 7.5-km/4.7-mi event, in which a 200-m/220-yd penalty loop must be skied for each missed target.

The biathlon can be traced to Sweden, where it began as informal competition among hunters. By 1908 the sport had become organized enough to inspire international military ski races in Europe. The first modern biathlon event in the US was at Camp Hale, Colorado, 1956. In 1960, at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California, the sport became an Olympic event. Relay competition was added 1968.