Winter Olympics Rules of the Game: Biathlon
Biathlon began as an event called military patrol in 1924
At the 2014 games in Sochi there are a total of 11 events
There are 5 men's events 4 individual and 1 relay ... 5 women's events 4 individual and a relay as well and a mixed relay
We'll use the men's individual 20 kilometer race as our example:
- Athletes ski five laps around a 4 kilometer circuit
- Competitors stop four times at the range and attempt to shoot 5 targets each time so a total of 20 targets.
- They use a 22 caliber rifle that weighs more than 7 pounds
- In the firing range the athletes alternate between a prone and standing position
- The target is 55 yards away and changes in size based on the shooting position
In the prone position, the competitors are laying down. That's stops 1 and 3 and they take 5 shots at the target which is slightly bigger than a golf ball.
On stops 2 and 4, the competitors shoot from the standing position at a target that is slightly larger than a softball.
On a hit, the black target is covered by a white plate. There is a one minute time penalty for each missed target.
And that's your look at the rules of the game.
Source: USA TODAYSports
