All About Olympic Biathlon

Skiers set off a regular intervals and race against the clock as they aim to complete an undulating course as fast as possible.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: MEN
10km sprint Sven Fischer (Ger)
12.5km pursuit Vincent Defrasne (Fra)
15km mass start Michael Greis (Ger, above)
20km individual Michael Greis (Ger)
4x7.5km relay Germany

The race is made up of laps, like in athletics, and competitors must stop at the shooting range on each circuit to fire at a target.

Here they take five shots using a small-bore rifle without magnifying sights, with either time or distance penalties being added for each target missed.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: WOMEN
7.5km sprint Florence Baverel-Robert (Fra)
10km pursuit Kati Wilhelm (Ger)
12.5km mass start Anna Carin Olofsson (Swe)
15km individual Svetlana Ishmouratova (Rus)
4x6km relay Russia

The skier must come to a complete stop before they start firing and two different positions are used.

From the ground: The shooter must fire five shots at a 45mm target from 50m away. The shooter's elbow can touch the surface but the wrist must not.

Standing up: The shooter fires five shots at a 115mm target from 50m away.

Athletes will often slow down before they reach the shooting station in order to control the heart rate and relax the body.

Each event has a different set of shooting and penalty rules:

Individual - men's 20km; women's 15km

Each entrant has four sets of five shots - alternating between shooting from ground and standing up - on each 5km lap.

An extra minute is added to each racer's time for every target missed.

Sprint - men's 10km; women's 7.5km

Skiers must complete two laps of the course with five shots at the target after each lap, one set standing up, the other shooting from the ground.

For each target missed, an additional 150m is added to the athlete's circuit.

Pursuit - men's 12.5km; women's 10km

This event involves the top 60 qualifiers from qualifying heats. The qualifier with the best score in the shooting is the first to go, and the rest set off in pursuit at intervals determined by their qualifying performance.

There are four laps and shooting sessions, two standing and two from the ground.

Relay - men's 4x7.5km; women's 4x6km

Each team has four skiers. Each member must complete the distance and take two sets of shots at five targets, one from the ground and the other standing.

Mass start - men's 15km; women's 12.5km

Introduced in 2006, this event sees the 30 best-ranked competitors start together.

The men must complete 15km - five circuits of 3km - while the women must complete 12.5km - five circuits of 2.5km.

A set of five shots must be fired after each circuit, the first two sets from the ground and the last two standing.

A penalty circuit must be completed for each target missed.

Biathletes generally use the same equipment as cross-country skiers - with the obvious addition of a rifle on their backs.

However, biathletes prefer to use a skate-style ski, which requires a grooved track, because they generate more speed.

The rifles must be able to shoot in sub-zero temperatures.