Biathlon - Soldier Hollow The word "biathlon" stems from the Greek word for two contests. Today it's interpreted as a joining of two sports: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. During a biathlon race, athletes have the daunting task of combining two very different sports and athletic qualities into one event. Competitors cover as many as 20 kilometers of snow-packed trail and shoot up to 20 targets in the same competition. Biathlon was included as a military exercise in the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924 and continued as a demonstration sport in 1928, 1936 and 1948, but was removed from the Games after World War II because of post-war sensitivities. Officially, biathlon was added to the Olympic program at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games with men's 20km individual event. In 1992, women made their Olympic biathlon debut with individual, sprint and relay events in Albertville. The men and women's pursuit events will be contested for the first time in the Olympics in Salt Lake. Back to top