Biathlon
International Biathlon UnionAbout biathlon
Biathlon originated in Scandinavia in the 18th century and the first official competition likely dates to 1912. Here’s everything you need to know about biathlon at Milano Cortina 2026.
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Competition events
Biathlon is a winter discipline that includes two events: rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiing races in freestyle technique take place on a track that is covered multiple times, depending on the length of the race. Each lap, athletes undergo a shooting test — one standing, one in the prone position — firing five shots (the number of attempts changes according to the speciality). The targets have variable diameters (45 mm for shooting in the prone position, 115 mm for standing), placed 50 m from the firing line. A missed target results in a penalty: an extra 150 m to ski (a penalty loop) or one minute added to the overall time (in individual races). The competitions at Milano Cortina 2026 will consist of 11 events:
- Men's 20km Individual
- Women's 15km Individual
- Men's 10km Sprint
- Women's 7.5km Sprint
- Men's 12.5km Pursuit
- Women's 10km Pursuit
- Men's 15km Mass Start
- Women's 12.5km Mass Start
- Men's 4 x 7.5km Relay
- Women's 4 x 6km Relay
- Mixed Relay 4 x 6km (M+W)
The men's and women's races will take place in Antholz/Anterselva, an international biathlon centre in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
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Olympic history
Military patrols are the direct precursor to biathlon. The event was an integral part of the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. At the time, the race involved teams of four men, consisting of an officer, a non-commissioned officer, and two soldiers. At the Olympics at St. Moritz in 1928, Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936, and St. Moritz in 1948, the military patrol appeared as a demonstration sport.
Biathlon has been part of the Olympic programme since the Games in Squaw Valley in 1960. Women's competitions were regulated in 1980 and have been included in the Olympic programme since 1992. Scandinavian NOCs have enjoyed the most success in this sport. It is the only skiing sport regulated worldwide by the IBU (International Biathlon Union).
Basic rules
In sprint races, female competitors cover distances of 7.5km and men cover 10km. They stop twice to shoot at five separate targets, only using one shot for each. In the pursuit, athletes start the race sequentially based on their finishing time (or rather their delay behind the winner) in the sprint competition. Competitors stop four times to shoot at five separate targets, only using one shot for each.
In individual races, women cover 15km and men cover 20km. Athletes stop four times at the shooting range and attempt to hit five targets. For each missed target in this event, the athlete incurs a one-minute penalty (instead of the penalty loop).
The relay is a four-person team speed event where each athlete tackles a section of the course: 7.5km each for a total of 30km for men and 6km each for a total of 24km for women. It begins with a mass start with the first skiers from each team. Each team member has two shooting sequences and three extra bullets (for a total of eight) to hit the five targets required for each shooting phase. The three extra bullets can be loaded one at a time.
In the mixed 4x6km relay, there are 20 teams, each composed of four athletes — two women and two men — who each ski six km. The event starts with the first skier from each team. Each team member has two shooting sequences: one in the prone position and one standing. In each shooting sequence, competitors are required to hit five targets and are given three extra bullets (for a total of eight).
In the mass start, 30 athletes start simultaneously. Women compete over 12.5km and men over 15km. They stop four times to shoot at five separate targets, only using one shot for each.
Fun facts about Italian champions
Italy has never won a gold in biathlon at the Olympics, but it has still claimed seven medals. The first Italian medal was won by Johann Passler, who won bronze in the individual event at Calgary 1988. There, Passler also won a second bronze medal in the 4x7.5 km relay with his teammates Werner Kiem, Gottlieb Taschler, and Andreas Zingerle. At Nagano 1998, Pieralberto Carrara from Serina, Bergamo, won silver in the 20 km. Sixteen years later, at Sochi 2014, Dorothea Wierer, Karin Oberhofer, Dominik Windisch, and Lukas Hofer finished third behind Norway and the Czech Republic in the debut mixed relay.
Antholz/Anterselva
The Antholz Valley encompasses a wide range of history, tradition, and sports.
Frequently asked questions
The most decorated male biathlete at the Winter Olympics is the Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen, with a total of 13 medals (eight gold, four silver and one bronze).
The most decorated female biathlete at the Winter Olympics is Germany’s Uschi Disl, with two gold, four silver and three bronze medals.
Leading the list of the most decorated nations at the Winter Olympic Games in biathlon is Norway with 55 medals (22 gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze), followed by Germany with 54 (20 gold, 21 silver and 13 bronze) and France with 32 (12 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze).
Biathlon comes from the Latin prefix "bi" and the ancient Greek word "ἆθλον" (athlon), which means "competition" or "contest", referring to the combination of two sports: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
At Milano Cortina 2026, the men's and women's races will take place in Anterselva/Antholz, in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
