BIATHLON

Biathlon cross-country course and shooting range. winter sports event combining cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship, probably developed from European military ski training and competitions. The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon (founded 1948) worked for the development of both sports in Olympic competition and instituted annual world championships for the modern pentathlon in 1949 and for the men's biathlon in 1958. After having been included as a "military exercise" in the first Winter Olympics in 1924, the biathlon was removed from the Games for political reasons after World War II. The biathlon was included in the Winter Olympics program as an official men's event in 1960, and in 1992 the first women's Olympic biathlon events were held. Since 1993 the sport has been governed by the International Biathlon Union. In biathlon events competitors cover a cross-country course, carrying a specially designed 5.6-mm (.22-calibre) rifle and ammunition. In the men's 20-km and women's 15-km events, skiers stop at four designated points to fire shots at five small targets 50 metres (164 feet) away. Athletes alternate between two shooting positions: standing and prone (laying on the stomach). For the men's 20-km event and the women's 15-km event, the order is: prone, standing, prone, standing. In the men's and women's sprint events, covering 10 km and 7.5 km, respectively, there are only two shooting rounds, prone then standing. The target size varies according to position, with standing shooters aiming at an 11.5-cm (4.5-inch) target and prone contestants shooting at a 4.5-cm (1.8-inch) target. Contestants are penalized for each miss, and the athlete with the lowest adjusted time for the race wins. Penalties can take the form of added time or additional laps. In the men's 20-km and women's 15-km races, one minute is added to the athlete's final time for each failed shot; each missed target in sprint competition costs competitors a 150-metre (492-foot) penalty loop. In 1968 a four-man biathlon relay event was added to the Olympic program, each man firing twice during each 7.5-km lap. The first targets are shot prone; the second targets are shot standing. At each shooting range, each competitor has eight bullets to use to hit five targets. Each target left unhit requires a 150-metre penalty loop. Either classical or freestyle (skating) techniques can be used in biathlon competition. Mass starts are used in relay events. Athletes in individual events start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock. A combined running and swimming event called the biathlon was instituted in 1968 in Great Britain, mainly to produce modern pentathlon performers.