What is the Biathlon Event in the Whistler Olympics?
The winter sport biathlon involves "two tests": cross country skiing and small calibre rifle target shooting. The equivalent summer biathlon sport combines cross country running with rifle shooting. Biathlon athletes must have natural talents ranging from: extreme physical stamina and strength for the cross country skiing portion and the rifle shooting demands careful precision and control.
To win the event, the biathlete must complete the race in the least amount of time, and shoot as many targets as possible to prevent incurring time penalties.
Whistler Olympics - The Types of Biathlon Events
The skier begins the race by first finishing a cross country ski loop which can be 2 to 4 kilometers depending upon the competition format. Next, they must enter into the shooting range (stadium) and shoot five times at a metal target located 50 metres away. The target hit area is changes depending on the competitor's shooting position: prone or standing. If in prone position, the hit area is 45 mm (similar to a golf ball size) and if in standing position the hit area is 115mm (similar to the size of a large grapefruit). Usually it takes a competitor 20 to 25 seconds to aim and fire five bullets. If a target is missed, there is a penalty, depending on the event, it could be one minute of added time or skiing another 150-metre lap. Also, the clock continues to tick throughout the shooting portion. The athlete must both ski fast and shoot fast to finish the race in the least amount of time.
The biathlon event in the Olympics has both men and women competitions. There are individual and team events and in total the winter biathlon Olympic event involves 10 separate events of cross country skiing and target shooting. They range from:
Individual (interval start): 15 km for women and 20 km for men
Sprint (interval start): 7.5 km for women and 10 km for men
Pursuit : 10 km for women and 12.5 km for men
Relay: 4 x 6 km for women and 4 x 7.5 km for men
Mass start: 12. 5km for women and 15 km for men
The History & Popularity of Biathlon
The Olympic biathlon event (men only) was first brought into the Olympics in 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. The women's biathlon Olympic event was introduced in 1992 at the Albertville, France Olympics.
There are numerous World Cup events, in addition to the Olympic events, which began much than it's inclusion in the Olympics. It is remarkably more popular in Europe and boasts to have larger television viewing audiences than most other winter sports.
Biathlon in 2010 Whistler Olympics
The biathlon event is scheduled to be in the 2010 Winter Olympics starting February 14th to 26th, 2010. The competition will be held in the newly built Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley approximately 18 kilometres southwest of Whistler on the Sea to Sky highway.
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