Biathlon competition disciplines

Individual

This timed race is the oldest and longest discipline in the entire competition program. Men cover a distance of 20 km, while women cover 15 km. The start intervals are typically 30 seconds, but can be shortened under certain circumstances. Unlike all other competition formats, there are no penalty loops; each missed shot results in a one-minute penalty, which is added to the total time. Athletes shoot four times – (prone, standing, prone, standing). The winner is determined by the fastest overall time, including penalty minutes.

Sprint

Men cover a distance of 10 km, while women cover 7.5 km. Athletes start individually with a 30-second interval between each. Start intervals may be shortened under certain circumstances. Athletes shoot once prone and once standing. Each missed shot results in a 150m penalty loop. The winner is determined by the fastest time at the finish line.

Pursuit

In this competition, the top 60 athletes from the sprint race compete against each other. Men cover a distance of 12.5 km, while women cover 10 km. Starting intervals are based on the sprint results. This means the sprint winner starts first, and the second-place sprinter starts with the time difference from the sprint winner. This principle applies to all starters. If an athlete has a time difference of more than 4 minutes from the sprint winner, they still start after 4 minutes. If this applies to multiple athletes, all the athletes who are placed last start together in a wave.

Athletes complete 4 shooting rounds (prone, prone, standing, standing). Each missed shot results in a 150m penalty loop. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins the race.

Mixed Relay

Each nation’s team consists of 2 men and 2 women. Men run 2x 7.5 km, and women also run 2x 7.5 km. Athletes shoot twice, once prone and once standing. Athletes can reload up to 3 shots in case of a missed shot. The penalty loop is 150 m long.

Single Mixed Relay

Each nation’s team consists of one man (running distance: 5x 1.5 km) and one woman (running distance: 4x 1.5 km). There are 4 shooting rounds per athlete. The starting athlete hands over to their partner after 2 shooting rounds (prone and standing). Athletes can reload up to 3 shots in case of a missed shot. The penalty loop is 75m long.