The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.  It is a race where the winner is the contestant with best time. Depending on the race, missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant’s total.

Biathlon is rooted in the skiing traditions of Scandinavia. In modern times, the activity that developed into this sport was an exercise for Norwegian people that was an alternative training for the military. Norwegian skiing regiments organized military skiing contests in the 18th century, divided in four classes: shooting at mark while skiing at top speed, downhill race among trees, downhill race on big hills without falling, and a long race on flat ground while carrying rifle and military pack. In modern terminology these military contests included downhill, slalom, biathlon, and cross-country skiing. Biathlon, we now know, is a civilian variant of the old military combined exercise. This combination of skiing and shooting was contested at the Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and then demonstrated in following years, but did not regain Olympic recognition then because the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules. During the mid-1950s, however, the biathlon was introduced into the Soviet and Swedish winter sport circuits. It became widely enjoyed by the public. This newfound popularity aided the effort of having the biathlon gain entry into the Winter Olympics.

At Albertville in 1992, women were first allowed in the Olympic biathlon.

Now in biathlon exists a couple of competition formats like Mass start, Pursuit, Sprint… Every one of them has their own rules. Biathlon events are nowadays being broadcast mostly in countries where the sport enjoys its greatest popularity (Germany, Poland, Norway…). The IBU (International Biathlon Union)maintains biathlon records, rules, news, videos, and statistics for many years back, all of which are available at its web site.

 International biathlon events are being held throughout the entire winter season and here is the list of them:

• Biathlon at the Winter Olympics
• Biathlon World Championships
• Biathlon World Cup
• Biathlon European Championships
• IBU Cup
• Biathlon Junior World Cup
• Biathlon at the Winter Universiade