Section 5: Rules of Play
5.1 Individual Event (20 km Men / 15 km Women)
The longest and most traditional biathlon event. Athletes ski 5 loops (4 km each for men, 3 km each for women, though course loop lengths vary by venue) with 4 shooting stages in alternating order: prone, standing, prone, standing. Each missed target adds a 1-minute time penalty to the athlete's total ski time. There is no penalty loop — the time addition is applied to the final result. This format rewards both skiing speed and shooting precision equally, as one missed target is roughly equivalent to losing 1 minute of skiing time.
5.2 Sprint Event (10 km Men / 7.5 km Women)
Three skiing loops with 2 shooting stages: first prone, then standing. Each missed target requires the athlete to ski one 150 m penalty loop (approximately 20–25 seconds per loop). The Sprint is the most-attended event and serves as the qualification race for the Pursuit.
5.3 Pursuit Event (12.5 km Men / 10 km Women)
The top 60 finishers from the Sprint start at intervals corresponding to their time gaps from the Sprint winner. Five skiing loops with 4 shooting stages: prone, prone, standing, standing. Penalty loops for misses. The first athlete across the finish line wins regardless of combined time — it is a head-to-head chase format where the Sprint advantage carries forward.
5.4 Mass Start (15 km Men / 12.5 km Women)
All 30 athletes start simultaneously in a mass start. Five skiing loops with 4 shooting stages: prone, prone, standing, standing. Athletes must use their assigned shooting lane (determined by bib number in the first stage; by arrival order for subsequent stages). Penalty loops for misses. The first across the finish line wins.
5.5 Relay (4×7.5 km Men / 4×6 km Women)
Each team of 4 athletes skis one leg consisting of 3 skiing loops and 2 shooting stages (prone, standing). In relay, athletes have 3 spare rounds per shooting stage in addition to the 5 in the magazine (8 total per stage). Spare rounds must be loaded manually, one at a time, from a magazine on the shooting mat. After all 8 rounds are fired, any remaining misses result in penalty loops. The exchange between team members occurs in a designated tag zone; the incoming athlete must physically tag the outgoing athlete.
5.6 Mixed Relay
Two women ski the first two legs (6 km each), followed by two men (7.5 km each). Same relay shooting rules apply: 5 loaded + 3 spare per stage. The Mixed Relay is typically the shortest biathlon event (under 1 hour total), making it spectator-friendly and fast-paced.
5.7 Shooting Procedure
Upon arriving at the range, athletes enter their assigned lane, remove the rifle from the harness, assume the shooting position (prone or standing), and engage 5 targets from left to right (or in any order). In prone shooting, the athlete lies flat with both elbows and the rifle's forend supported. In standing shooting, the athlete stands unsupported — no resting the rifle against the lane dividers or any structure. After firing, athletes secure the rifle, re-harness, and continue skiing (or enter the penalty loop for each miss).