SportsMaze

What changes the result

The rules behind the moments commentators get excited about. They build on the beginner rules.

I · Intermediate · 7 rules · Step 2 of 3

The competitions

  1. What is the individual race in biathlon?The individual is the oldest and longest race: 20 km for men and 15 km for women, with four shooting bouts in the order prone, standing, prone, standing.
  2. How does the biathlon mass start work?In the mass start, 30 biathletes start together; men ski 15 km and women 12.5 km, with four bouts: prone, prone, standing, standing.
  3. How does a biathlon relay work?In a relay, four biathletes each ski a leg with a prone and a standing bout.

Shooting and skiing

  1. What are the skiing rules in biathlon?Biathletes must ski the marked course in order, with the rifle on the back, using only skis, poles and their own strength.

Starts, finish and penalties

  1. What is the start window in biathlon?There are four kinds of start: single, pursuit, group and simultaneous.
  2. How is the finish decided in biathlon?A skier's time stops when they break the beam at the finish line.
  3. What are the penalties in biathlon?Biathlon has a ladder of penalties.
A · Advanced · 4 rulesNext: advanced rules