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ABOUT THE SPORT
Imagine sprinting up 25 flights of stairs and, once at the top, trying to thread a needle five times in a row without once missing the hole. Imagine doing that over and over while competing against a dozen other people, and you have begun to experience the sport of biathlon.
In all biathlon events, athletes have to combine cross-country skiing with small bore rifle shooting from both a standing and prone position. The athletes ski loops of the course, stopping each time to fire a prerequisite number of shots at the target. Participants incur a penalty for missing a target in all events and the athlete with the fastest time wins.
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Men's 4x7.5 km Relay
Biathalon |
February 26, 2010
Friday 11:30 AM |
Whistler Olympic Park
Whistler, BC |
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HISTORY OF THE BIATHLON
“Biathlon” stems from the Greek word for two contests. Today it is the dual sport of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Originally it was a tactic of survival rather than a sport. Northern Europeans skied to hunt for food and, later, skied with weapons to defend their countries. The first known biathlon competition took place between two Norwegian and Swedish guard companies in 1767. A century later rifle and ski clubs could be found throughout Norway as recreation began to complement military training.
The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne and Biathlon was founded in 1948 and worked for the development of both sports in Olympic competition. They instituted annual World Championships for the modern pentathlon in 1949 and for the men’s biathlon in 1958. The biathlon World Championships debuted in Saalfelden, Austria, and is held every year with the exception of Olympic years.
A women’s World Championship has been held every year since 1984. Since 1993, the sport has been governed by the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
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