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Introduction
The most prevalent form of biathlon today combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship into a sporting event that is second to none in either difficulty for the athletes or excitement for the spectators. That any one of perhaps two dozen athletes on any given day can win a race underscores the drama that unfolds before spectators’ eyes.
Biathletes ski three to five loops of 2.0 to 4.0 kilometers utilizing the skate technique and stop two or four times to shoot at five targets, either in the prone or standing position. Having missed a target, an athlete must either ski a 150 meter penalty loop or have one-minute added to the finish time, depending on the race format.
The sport attracts a significant audience on European television, having become the most watched winter sport on the continent-wide Eurosport channel. Competitions in Germany, Italy, and Norway attract up to 90,000 spectators, who are mesmerized by both the races and the festivities surrounding them. December through March, biathlon becomes a standard of national pride amongst European nations.
The International Biathlon Union is the international governing body for the sport with its headquarters located in Salzburg, Austria. International competitions, like the World Cup circuit and World Championships, are delegated by the IBU to organizing committees around the world. It is also responsible for standardizing rules and aiding the event organizers of the Winter Olympic Games.
The organization is made up of 62 member national federations, who control and promote the sport within their respective countries. The U.S. Biathlon Association, based in Vermont, and Biathlon Canada, based in Ottawa, are the two national federations representing North America.
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