Why Do These Skiiers Carry Guns? A Look at Biathlon

I find myself sitting here this morning watching the Torino Olympics first medal event the Men’s Individual 20km, but what is Biathlon. I thought that I would take a moment to learn:

Biathlon first became a medal event during the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. It is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, the sport of biathlon imposes two contrasting challenges upon athletes: the aerobic demands of racing, plus the precision of marksmanship. What I like is what it is compared to – running up several flights of stairs and immediately trying to thread a needle.

There are five men’s and women’s events called individual, pursuit, spring, relay, and mass start.

What I find interesting is that Biathlon is the only Winter Olympics sport in which entry into some events depends on earlier results. The top 60 from the sprint are eligible for the pursuit. What is also cool is that the mass start event is like the Biathlon World All-Star championships where the 30 best athletes from the Biathlon World Cup are able to compete.