Cross-country skiing has been an Olympic sport ever since the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924. Biathlon was added as an Olympic sport starting with the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, USA. The 2022 Winter Olympics feature twelve events in cross-country skiing, eleven biathlon events and an additional three events in Nordic combined, which won’t be easy to keep track.
Here is an overview of all the cross-country skiing events in the Winter Olympics as of this writing:
Cross-country skiing
At the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, cross-country skiing will feature events in both classic cross-country and skate skiing (also called free technique). The two styles alternate at the major events (Olympic Games, World Championships). For example, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the 15km men’s individual race was a skate skiing event. Therefore at the 2022 Olympics, this event will be skied in classic style.
Learn the difference between skate skiing and classic cross-country
Five cross-country ski disciplines will be held during the upcoming Winter Olympics (schedule for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing):
- Skiathlon: 15km for women, 30km for men. Athletes make one lap in classic style then change skis and poles before completing the second lap in skating style.
- Sprint: 1.5km for men and women. For qualification, athletes will compete in a time trial format with the 30 best times advancing to the final stages. Skate skiing will be the technique used for the Sprint at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
- Individual: 10km for women, 15km for men. The 2022 Beijing Olympics will feature skiers using classic technique in a time trial format with a racer starting every 30 seconds.
- Relay: 4 x 5km for women, 4 x 10km for men. Each member of a nation’s 4-person team skis one leg. The first two legs are skied in classic style, the last two legs will be skating.
- Mass Start: 30km women, 50km men, group start. Skating will be the technique for this event at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Check out our Stories and guides to find all our articles on cross-country skiing.
Biathlon
Biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and target shooting using a .22 caliber rifle. Biathletes alternate between skate skiing and shooting – from both standing and lying positions – at targets 50m away. The five targets are 11.5cm in diameter for the standing shots and 4.5cm for the prone shots. For each missed target, a penalty is imposed on the skier, generally in the form of an additional 150m lap to be completed after she finishes shooting.
The Olympic biathlon events are:
- Sprint: 7.5km women, 10km men – one prone shot, one standing shot. The 60 best times in Sprint qualify for the Pursuit.
- Pursuit: 10km women, 12.5km men – the fastest racer from the Sprint starts first followed by the other athletes with a handicap based on their Sprint times. Two prone shots then two shots standing.
- Individual: 15km women, 20km men – time trail with racers starting every thirty seconds. Four shots alternating between prone and standing. A missed shot means the athlete is penalized one additional minute (missed shots in this race do not result in additional distance).
- Mass start: 12.5km women, 15km men – group start with two prone shots then two shots standing. The 30 best athletes at the time of the event (top 15 World Cup athletes along with the top 15 from the Individual events of the Olympics) are qualified to compete in the Mass Start.
- Relay: 4 x 6km women, 4 x 7.5km men – each competitor on a 4-person national team completes one leg. Group start. One prone shot then one standing shot per leg. In addition to the five bullets in the rifle’s magazine, athletes carry three reserve bullets, which must be manually loaded for the athlete to make an additional attempt. Penalty lap of 150m per missed target.
- Mixed relay: 2 x 6km women then 2 x 7.5km men – same rules as the men’s and women’s Relays.
Check out our Stories and guides to find all our articles on cross-country skiing.
Nordic combined
Like cross-country skiing, Nordic combined became an Olympic sport at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix. Nordic combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing in the same event.
There are three Nordic combined events on the program for the next Winter Olympics:
- Individual: Racers start with one ski jump on a medium hill. The racer with the best result starts the 10km cross-country race first followed by the others based on their ski jump scores. The first skier across the finish line wins.
- Sprint: same as the Individual but with the ski jumping on a large hill.
- Team: four-person teams, each athlete makes one jump then the team does a 4 x 5km relay with start place based on the team’s total score for the ski jump.
All these events mean there will be no less than 75 Olympic medals awards for all the cross-country skiing disciplines!
Check out all our Stories and guides on cross-country skiing.
