Biathlon at the Winter Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Biathlon at the Winter Olympics |
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| Governing body | IBU |
| Events | 11 (men: 5; women: 5; mixed: 1) |
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Biathlon is a unique Winter Olympic sport that combines two very different skills: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Athletes ski long distances and then stop to shoot at targets. It first became an official Olympic sport at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. The first event was a 20-kilometer individual race for men.
Over the years, more biathlon events were added to the Olympics. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4 × 7.5 km relay race was introduced. This is a team event where four athletes each ski and shoot. Then, at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the 10 km sprint event was added. This is a faster, shorter race.
Women's biathlon joined the Olympics at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Women competed in a 15 km individual race, a relay race (which changed from 3 × 7.5 km to 4 × 7.5 km, and then 4 × 6 km over time), and a 7.5 km sprint.
New and exciting events continued to be added. A pursuit race was included at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In this event, the top 60 athletes from the sprint race qualify. The winner of the sprint starts first, and other athletes start later based on how far behind they were in the sprint. This makes for a thrilling chase!
Finally, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the mass start event was introduced. In this race, the top 30 biathletes from previous events all start at the same time, leading to a very competitive and close finish.
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History of Biathlon at the Olympics
Before biathlon became an official Olympic sport, there was a similar event called military patrol. This event was held at four early Winter Olympic Games: in 1924, 1928, 1936, and 1948. In 1924, medals were given for military patrol. For the other three Games, it was a demonstration sport, meaning it was shown but didn't award official medals. Many people consider military patrol to be the early version of modern biathlon.
Biathlon Events Over Time
Biathlon events have changed and grown a lot since the sport first appeared at the Olympics. Here's a look at the different types of races:
Men's Biathlon Events
- Individual (20 km): This was the first biathlon event at the Olympics in 1960. It's a long race where athletes ski a set distance and shoot at targets at different points.
- Relay (4×7.5 km): This team event started in 1968. Four biathletes work together, each skiing and shooting their part of the race.
- Sprint (10 km): Introduced in 1980, this is a shorter, faster race than the individual event.
- Pursuit (12.5 km): This event began in 2002. Athletes start based on their finish times in the sprint race, creating a direct chase.
- Mass Start (15 km): Added in 2006, this event has all the top athletes starting at the same time, making it very exciting to watch.
Women's Biathlon Events
Women's biathlon officially joined the Olympics in 1992.
- Individual (15 km): Similar to the men's individual race, but a shorter distance.
- Relay (4×6 km): The women's team relay event.
- Sprint (7.5 km): The women's shorter, faster sprint race.
- Pursuit (10 km): The women's pursuit race, where athletes chase each other based on sprint results. This started in 2002.
- Mass Start (12.5 km): The women's mass start event, where all top athletes begin together. This was added in 2006.
Mixed Biathlon Events
- Mixed Relay (4×6 km): This exciting team event, introduced in 2014, features two male and two female biathletes on each team, taking turns to ski and shoot.
Medal Table
Sources (after the 2022 Winter Olympics):
Accurate as of 2022 Winter Olympics and IOC Executive Board decision of May 19, 2022 to redistribute medals in the biathlon women's 4x6km event at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norway |
22 | 18 | 15 | 55 |
| 2 |  Germany |
20 | 21 | 13 | 54 |
| 3 |  France |
12 | 9 | 11 | 32 |
| 4 |  Russia |
10 | 5 | 8 | 23 |
| 5 |  Soviet Union |
9 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 |  Sweden |
6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| 7 |  Belarus |
4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 |  East Germany |
3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 9 |  Slovakia |
3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 |  Unified Team |
2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 11 |  Canada |
2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | West Germany |
1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 13 |  Ukraine |
1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 14 |  Bulgaria |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 |  Czech Republic |
0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 16 |  Finland |
0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 17 |  Austria |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 18 |  Italy |
0 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 19 |  ROC (ROC) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 20 |  Slovenia |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 |  Kazakhstan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Poland |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Switzerland |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 24 |  Croatia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (24 entries) | 96 | 97 | 95 | 288 | |
See also
In Spanish: Biatlón en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- List of Olympic venues in biathlon
- Biathlon rifle Anschütz 1827F
