biathlon

It is one of the winter sports, and its methods and rules are quite unique. It involves wearing skis with a gun wrapped around you, running on cross-country skis and shooting at a set target, and then ranking by adding up the skiing time and target hits. am. In other words, it can be considered a combination of cross-country and shooting . Bi- means 2, and words created in the same way include Triathlon and Pentathlon . In fact, there was a time when it was closely related to the modern pentatype. As for its origins, it was originally developed by soldiers in snowy mountain units in Northern Europe, where there is a lot of snow, gradually turning it into a sport by training them to shoot when they spot an enemy while skiing. At first, it was a game in which soldiers participated under the name of military patrol, but later it was combined with modern pentathlon and received the name biathlon, meaning two-athlon, and as detailed game rules were established, it developed into an international sporting event. At first, the international federation was formed with modern pentathlon under the name of the International Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon Union, but was separated into the International Biathlon Union (IBU) in 1998. It was adopted in the Olympics as an event called military patrol at the first Chamonix Games in 1924 until 1948, and was reintroduced under the name of biathlon at the Squaw Valley Games in 1960, and has remained an official event of the Winter Olympics to this day.

After walking around a course of a certain length, you shoot. Repeat this four times, then do one final spin and cross the finish line. Shooting involves lying prone (prone) twice and standing up (standing) twice , and you must hit five targets. The shooting distance is 50 m (160 ft), and the target size is circular with a diameter of 45 mm (1.8 inches) for radiant and 115 mm (4.5 inches) for incident . If you don't hit the target, a penalty is imposed and even a win can be overturned, so not only is it important to know how fast you ski, but it's also important to know how well you shoot. Unlike indoor shooting, it is more difficult to shoot after cross-country because you have to take the crosswind into account while your heart rate rises and your breathing becomes rough, and the gun is also made heavy to hit the target well, so it is not the right shape to carry and run.[1] , because of this, the physical expenditure is considerable. The rifle used in this competition uses .22 Long Rifle ammunition , just like the 50m rifle and 25m pistol in the Summer Olympics, but there are some differences. First, due to the nature of winter sports held in low-temperature environments, supersonic ammunition is used, unlike the summer Olympic shooting events that use subsonic ammunition . As the temperature decreases, the speed of sound decreases, so when shooting in a cold environment using the same bullet, there is a greater possibility that the shock wave just before breaking the sound speed will affect the trajectory, so a higher-velocity bullet is used to exceed the speed to be affected by the shock wave. Meanwhile, the rifles used in the shooting events at the Summer Olympics are designed to be loaded by hand with only one round in each chamber, but in this event, magazines containing 5 rounds are used.

However, in some cases , air rifles are used in competitions. This is because the process of owning an air rifle is simpler than that of a firearm using charged charges, and guns and ammunition are cheaper. For example, in Korea, air rifles are often used in youth competitions. In this case, rather than running with a gun on your back from the beginning, you run barefoot and then shoot using a gun prepared in advance at the firing line. This method of running barefoot and shooting with a prepared gun at the firing line can also be seen in disabled biathlon. This is because most athletes with various disabilities find it inconvenient to play while carrying a gun.[2] Depending on the degree of disability, guns are often equipped with various assistive devices.[3] I can't even run with it on my back. And in the disabled competition, unlike the non-disabled competition, air rifles are used.

If you fail to shoot, you must circle an additional 150m long penalty course equal to the number of shots you missed.[4] However, in individual competitions, as an exception, one minute of time is added for each shot without going through a penalty course.[5] In individual events (individual competition, sprint, pursuit, group start), only 5 bullets are given per loop, which is the target number, and if you do not hit the target, you must be penalized accordingly. However, in relay events, three additional spare bullets are provided per loop. Even if you don't hit all the shots with the first five shots, you can proceed without penalty if you load a spare bullet and hit it. However, the first five bullets are in the magazine, so continuous shooting is possible, but spare bullets must be manually loaded one at a time, so there is no penalty at all.[6] Also, if there are still targets that you could not hit even after shooting all three spare bullets, you must go around the penalty course.[7]

Surprisingly, it is a game with many detailed events. The further down you go, the later the items are, and you can see that the detailed items were created in a way that 'can easily tell who is number one.' Additionally, courses (loops) of different lengths for each event.[8] This must be taken into consideration when designing the course.

The most basic event is the 'individual event', which includes the men's 20km individual event and the women's 15km individual event. You must walk around the approximately 4km course (3km course for women) 5 times, and you must shoot after each turn. The first two times you shoot while lying down, the next two times you shoot while standing, and in the last loop, you just have to cross the finish line without shooting. In individual competitions, each player starts in turn every 30 seconds and is played with minimal interference between players. There is an advantage that many participants can participate, but due to this problem, there is a disadvantage that the final ranking can be confirmed only after all players have finished the game. In other specific events, if you fail to shoot, you have to go around a 150m penalty course, but in individual competitions, the rule of adding 1 minute per shot is used. It appears to be a rule to protect players due to the nature of the sport, which covers the longest course, and also has the purpose of excluding unexpected interference with other players due to the penalty course.

The 'sprint' event is a shortened event in which the individual event is halved. The distance is 10 km (3.3 km course three times) for men and 7.5 km (3 times 2.5 km course) for women. You only shoot twice (once while lying down and once while standing). Also, like the individual competition, one person starts in turn every 30 seconds.

There is a 'pursuit' event as a derivative of the sprint, and the distance is 12.5km (5 times 2.5km course) for men and 10km (5 times 2.0km course) for women. Shooting is done lying down twice and standing up twice. What is unusual is that there is a delay time at the start depending on the performance of the sprint event. In other words, only athletes who participated in and completed the sprint event can participate in the pursuit event. In addition, there is a limit to the number of players participating, so there is a specific ranking (60th place)[9] ) or more must be recorded. If the second-place athlete arrives 10 seconds later than the first-place athlete in the sprint event, then the second-place athlete starts 10 seconds after the first-place athlete starts in the pursuit event. Instead, unlike individual competitions or sprints, in this race, the person who reaches the finish line first will be ranked first .[10] Additionally, the athlete who crosses the finish line first wins the gold medal, so athletes and spectators can immediately see who won the medal without waiting. So, the name of the stock itself is ‘tracking’ and[11] If you overtake the player in front of you and get ahead, your ranking will increase . For this reason, competition between players is made to take place in real time, much more intensely than in individual competitions or sprints. In individual competitions, the fact that the athlete who started behind tries to overtake him means that the gap of 30 seconds at the start has been reduced. Therefore, it is good manners to acknowledge the skills of the player behind you, make concessions to make overtaking easier, and then play at your own pace. However, in a chase race, on the contrary, it is an extremely desirable play to block the way to prevent overtaking or to speed up and run away.

'Group start' ( mass start) is simply a form in which all athletes start at the same time, and the athlete who reaches the finish line first wins. As with tracking, you can immediately see who won the medal, and since they start at the same time, the competition between athletes for rankings is more intense. Men run 15 km (3 km course 5 times), women run 12.5 km (2.5 km course 5 times) and shoot 4 times. Because the structure starts at the same time, there may be a situation where the shooting team is not available due to the lack of a shooting stand, so the total number of participants is equal to the number of shooting teams. In the case of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, there were 30 shooting squads, so 30 people participated. Although they all start at the same time, they cannot all start in a straight line, so a more advantageous starting line is assigned based on existing grades or rankings. Additionally, to avoid unnecessary shooting stand competition, all participating athletes must be assigned a shooting stand number in advance and shoot only from the designated shooting stand.

As of the 2026 Winter Olympics, three events were adopted: men's relay 4x7.5km, women's relay 4x6km, and mixed relay 4x6km (2 men, 2 women). All three events are four-person team events, and the men's relay requires one runner to cover a 2.5km course three times, while the women's relay and mixed relay require one runner to cover a 2km course three times. Shooting is conducted twice per player (once while lying down and once while standing). You are given 5 basic bullets per shot plus 3 extra bullets in case you do not hit the target. If you do not hit all the targets even after shooting a total of 8 bullets, you must go around the 150m punishment route. On the 3rd lap, they change hands by tagging with the next runner. Like a group start, all teams start at the same time, and the team that reaches the finish line first wins. Also, as with group departures, you must shoot only from pre-designated shooting ranges.

It is a typical unpopular sport in Korea , and has no chance of becoming popular in the future. On the other hand, in Europe, popularity has risen sharply in recent years, and while modern pentathlon is worried about being kicked out of the Olympic Games, its status is rising, with the number of medals increasing. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, there was only one men's individual event, but later relays, sprints, pursuit, and team starts were introduced, and women's events were newly established in 1992. Accordingly, at the 2006 Winter Olympics, there were 10 gold medal events for both men and women, and at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics , a mixed men's and women's event was added. However, it must be taken into account that, in addition to this game, sports in general are on the rise. In the case of the individual biathlon event, it is a competition that starts sequentially at intervals, and it can feel uninteresting because it is closer to a fight against oneself rather than a competition with other athletes. From the audience's perspective, it is not easy to tell who is doing how well in the current situation, and there is also the problem that the color of the medal is determined only when all players finish the game. However, in chases, group starts, relays, etc., an intuitive competition method was adopted in which the athlete who reached the finish line first was first , so the competitive element was highlighted and the fun of watching increased. In addition, unlike sports such as cross country, where the gap is not easily narrowed once it is widened, unexpected events often occur, such as large gaps being narrowed or reversed in an instant due to shooting.

Currently, Germany, France, and Norway are the strongest countries and have won the most medals. Sweden and Italy are next, and it is popular in other countries in Northern Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe, where the players are also very talented. The only times non-European athletes have won medals at the Winter Olympics are a Canadian athlete who won two gold medals and a bronze medal, and a Kazakh athlete who won one silver medal.[12] In particular, Germany has recently held indoor competitions.

[13]
Among European athletes, a notable munchkin is Norway's Ole Einar Björndalen , whose record is so overwhelming that it rivals Schumacher's. Although he was not a top class player after the late 2000s, he even won a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics , 7-8 years after the retirement of Poarena Fischer, a competitor of similar age . China's female athletes stood out in world competitions in the early and mid-2000s, and even produced athletes who won medals at the world championships, but it has been on a downward trend again since the late 2000s. Canada and the United States are countries with good winter sports infrastructure, but they are not showing a very strong performance due to European dominance. Of the 15 sports currently being held at the Winter Olympics, this is the only one in which an American athlete has never won a medal, so all that needs to be said is said.

Among winter sports, it is one of the most unheard of sports, with almost no chance of it becoming a new popular sport as mentioned above, and as mentioned above, it is one of the worst unheard of sports that almost no one even supports, let alone knows how it is played . Shooting skills are basic and must also be supported by cross-country skiing skills, but even if you give up shooting, alpine skiing , which involves mainly going down slopes , is popular in Korea, so there are very few people who want to do cross-country skiing, which requires a lot of stamina and is boring at first glance. Although they participate in the Winter Olympics, they are almost always in the bottom half of the rankings. There is only one dedicated stadium, Alpensia. Additionally, the fact that all athletes active in Korea have to store their firearms at the police station after registration is another disadvantage. # During other Olympics, you can bring a firearm to your accommodations and practice getting a feel for it, but in Korea, where gun regulations are strict, you must store your firearm at the police station after training. It is said that during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the firearms of all foreign athletes participating in the biathlon had to be registered and then taken to the police station, so it was a little inconvenient because they could not be taken to the accommodation. Therefore, you must visit the police station frequently during your career. Meanwhile, the 2009 World Biathlon Championships were held in Pyeongchang-gun under the leadership of Nami Kim (ski), a former alpine skier who studied abroad in Austria and has been vice president of the International Biathlon Federation since 2010, with the intention of hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Although it lost the bid in 2007 and failed to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the biathlon championships were held as scheduled. The facilities at the stadium at Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang were excellent, and leading European broadcasters at the time came and broadcast it live. However, the mobilization of spectators was not good. There were no paid spectators, and the only ones that were mobilized were <Dongsamo>, supporters of the Winter Olympics hosting mainly ski enthusiasts, and residents of the area near Pyeongchang. As a result, the world's most prestigious competition, which determines the strongest biathlon of the year, ended up attracting far fewer spectators than most second-level competitions in Europe.[14] This was criticized by authoritative media in Germany, where biathlon has become a popular sport, but it is said that the intention was to disparage Pyeongchang, considering that Pyeongchang and Munich will be competing to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The atmosphere at the time was very good, there were not many empty seats in the stands, local residents prepared warm food to share, ate it together, and enjoyed watching the game with fellow club members. Many diplomats in Korea and their families and friends also came, making it a great success.

Since it was introduced in earnest in the 1980s, the players' lives have continued steadily, and since it is a representative military sport like the modern pentathlon of summer events, the Armed Forces Sports Unit (Sangmu) plans to continue to foster it. In the late 1990s, the IMF Creero Executive Team was disbanded, but was re-established in 2006. Along with shooting, it was included in the five events that the Sangmu team would not eliminate.[15]

At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics , Inbok Lee and Jihee Moon competed. Inbok Lee ranked 82nd in the men's sprint and 73rd in the individual event, while Jihee Moon ranked 74th in the women's sprint and 69th in the individual event.

We are attempting to strengthen our power with special naturalization ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics . It is considered to be expected by winning silver medals in the championship women's sprint . Meanwhile, even though he played for the Russian national team from 2008 to 2016 and won six times in the World Cup, the top veteran Timofay Rapsin, who was trying to fight against factions , was naturalized. He ranked 16th in the men's 10km sprint, ranking the highest ranking in Korea Biathlon at once.

In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the male Timofay Rabsin ranked 20km 76th and Sprint 10km 82nd, while the female Yekaterina Abakumova and Kim Sun -soo ranked 15 km 73, 84th, 7.5km 49th and 83th in Sprint.

In the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games, Yekaterina Abakumoba won the gold medal at 7.5km of Biathlon Sprint. Nine years after naturalization, he won the first medal and gold medal at the international competition.

At the 2026 Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, Yunji Kim won the gold medal in the 12.5km sprint.