Editing Biathlon (section)

==History==
[[File:Skielober 1811.jpg|thumb|upright|Norwegian ski-soldier (Drawing published in 1811).]]
According to ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', the biathlon "is rooted in the skiing traditions of [[Scandinavia]], where early inhabitants revered the [[Ullr|Norse god Ullr]] as both the ski god and the hunting god."<ref>{{cite web | title=History, Rules, & Facts | website=Encyclopedia Britannica | date=1998-07-20 | url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/biathlon | access-date=2023-12-14}}</ref> In modern times, the activity that developed into this sport was an exercise for Norwegians as alternative training for the [[Norwegian army|military]]. Norwegian skiing regiments organized military skiing contests in the 18th century, divided into four classes: shooting at mark while skiing at top speed, downhill race among trees, downhill race on big hills without falling, and a long race on flat ground while carrying a rifle and military pack. In modern terminology, these military contests included downhill, slalom, biathlon, and cross-country skiing.<ref name=Bergsland>Bergsland, Einar (1946): ''På ski.'' Oslo: Aschehoug.</ref> One of the world's first known ski clubs, ''Trysil Skytte- og Skiløberforening'' (the Trysil Rifle and Ski Club), was formed in Norway in 1861 to promote national defense at the local level. 20th century variants include {{lang|no|Forsvarsrennet}} (the military contest), a 17&nbsp;km cross-country race with shooting, and the military cross-country race at 30&nbsp;km including marksmanship. 

The modern biathlon is a [[civilian]] variant of the old military combined exercise.<ref>Bø, Olav: ''Skiing throughout history'', translated by W. Edson Richmond. Oslo: Samlaget, 1993.</ref> In [[Norway]], the biathlon was until 1984 a branch of {{lang|no|Det frivillige Skyttervesen}}, an organization set up by the government to promote civilian marksmanship in support of national defence. In Norwegian, the biathlon is called {{lang|no|skiskyting}} (literally ''ski shooting'').<ref name="Idrettsleksikon">''Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon'' (Encyclopedia of Sports), Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget, 1990</ref> In Norway, there are still separate contests in {{lang|no|skifeltskyting}}, a cross-country race at 12&nbsp;km with large-caliber rifle shooting at various targets with unknown range.<ref>{{Citation|last=Bryhn|first=Rolf|title=skifeltskyting|date=2014-09-28|url=http://snl.no/skifeltskyting|work=Store norske leksikon|language=no|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref>

Called [[military patrol]], the combination of skiing and shooting was contested at the [[Winter Olympic Games]] in [[Military patrol at the 1924 Winter Olympics|1924]] and then [[demonstration sport|demonstrated]] in [[Military patrol at the 1928 Winter Olympics|1928]], [[Military patrol at the 1936 Winter Olympics|1936]], and [[Military patrol at the 1948 Winter Olympics|1948]], during which time Norway and [[Finland]] were strong competitors. In 1948, the sport was reorganized under the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon and became re-accepted as an Olympic sport in 1955,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.usbiathlon.org/history.html|title=Biathlon History|website=US Biathlon|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004044703/http://www.usbiathlon.org/history.html|archive-date=2011-10-04|access-date=2020-03-07}}</ref> with widespread popularity within the Soviet and Swedish winter sport circuits.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frank|first=William D.|date=June 2009|title=Cold War, Hot Borders: The Shooting War That the Russians Won|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KK6VKM0njdwC&q=history+of+biathlon&pg=PA41|journal=Skiing Heritage Journal|volume=21|issue=2|pages=36–41}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077G2TGQR|title=Two Skis and a Rifle: An Introduction to Biathlon|last=Nordvall|first=Michael|year=2017|isbn=978-1386671152}}</ref>

The first [[Biathlon World Championship]] was held in 1958 in [[Austria]], and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the [[1960 Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]].<ref name="Idrettsleksikon" /> At [[1992 Winter Olympics|Albertville]] in 1992, women were first allowed in the Olympic biathlon. The pursuit format was added for the [[2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics]], and the IBU added mixed relay as a format for the [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Olympics]].<ref name=":2" />

The competitions from 1958 to 1965 used high-power [[centrefire]] [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridges]], such as the [[.30-06 Springfield]] and the [[7.62×51mm NATO]], before the [[.22 Long Rifle]] [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] cartridge was standardized in 1978.<ref name=":2" /> The ammunition was carried in a belt worn around the competitor's waist. The sole event was the men's 20&nbsp;km individual, encompassing four separate ranges and firing distances of 100&nbsp;m, 150&nbsp;m, 200&nbsp;m, and 250&nbsp;m. The target distance was reduced to 150&nbsp;m with the addition of the relay in 1966. The shooting range was further reduced to 50&nbsp;m in 1978 with the mechanical self-indicating targets making their debut at the [[1980 Winter Olympics]] in [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/biathlon-a-sport-on-the-cutting-edge|title=Biathlon: a sport on the cutting edge|date=23 February 2015|work=olympic.org|access-date=25 January 2018}}</ref> For the 2018–2019 season, fully [[electronic target]]s were approved as an alternative to paper or mechanical steel targets for IBU events.<ref>[https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/detail/new-season-new-rules New Season, New Rules: International Biathlon Union – IBU]</ref>