General view of the competitors during the Biathlon event at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada. (Allsport/Getty Images) Considered one of the most grueling winter sports, biathlon comes from the Greek word meaning "two contests" because it is a combination of freestyle cross-country skiing and small-bore rifle marksmanship. The skiing part of the biathlon stresses aerobics and endurance, the shooting demands concentration.
Cave paintings from more than 3,000 years ago show hunters on skis wielding bows and arrows. Fragments of ancient skis have been found preserved in the frozen bogs of northern Scandinavia. The first recorded biathlon competition took place in 1767 on the border between Norway and Sweden. It was organized by the two countries' military border patrols, in part as a distraction from the cold and isolation. Despite the fact that many northern European countries maintained an armed border patrol, officiated biathlon competitions did not catch on until the early 20th century, when the Norwegian military organized a contest in 1912.
Military ski patrol
An early form of biathlon known as the "military ski patrol" was included in the 1924 Chamonix Winter Games and was contested as a medal sport in 1928, 1936 and 1948. In 1948, it was discontinued due to anti-war sentiment, and a new version called the Winter Pentathlon was introduced at the St. Moritz Olympics that year as a demonstration sport. It consisted of cross-country and downhill skiing, shooting, fencing and horseback riding. By 1958 biathlon was back in fashion, with the first world championships held in Saalfelden, Austria. By 1960, it was reintroduced to the Olympics at the Squaw Valley Games. Canada sent its first biathlon team to the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. The first Olympic biathlon competitions used big-bore rifles when competition was reserved for the military. Lighter, small-bore, .22-calibre rifles were adopted in the late 1970s and the target distance was reduced to 50 metres, making it easier for civilians to train and compete.
Following the change to small-bore rifles, interest in biathlon among women began to rise. By 1982, the European Cup was established for women, and in 1984, the first women's world championship was held in Voss, Norway. In 1992, women's biathlon was included as an Olympic medal event for the first time at the Albertville Games, where Canadian Myriam Bedard won a bronze medal. She went on to win two gold medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
Until 1993, biathlon was governed by the Union Internationale Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon (UIPMB), which was also responsible for overseeing modern pentathlon. That year, biathlon separated into its own organization, and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) was formed.
During the 2006 Torino Games, Germany's biathlete Michael Greis opened things up with a victory in the 20 km event, becoming the first person to capture three gold medals in Turin. Greis also won the men's 15km event, and was also a member of the German team that won the 4×7.5-km relay.
Canada's biathlon team has high hopes for Jean-Philippe LeGuellec, who is making his debut on the senior squad in 2010. LeGuellec is coming off a successful junior career having captured numerous medals on the international circuit.
