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Nordic Sports |
The Olympic Nordic sports are the Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping.
The Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting and didn't start as a sport, but as a way for northern European hunters, as early as 2000 BC, to put food on the table. Beginning in the mid-16th century, Scandinavian countries used troops on skis to defend against their enemies.
Today, the biathlon consists of ten separate events that alternate cross-country skiing with target shooting. The object is to complete the course in the least amount of time, hitting as many targets as possible to avoid time penalties.
How It Works
The skiing portion of the biathlon requires fast and physically demanding cross-country racing, while the rifle shooting requires accuracy and control - not easy when your heart is racing and your chest is heaving.
When the athletes ski into the shooting range, they must put down their ski poles and take five shots at a metal target 50 metres away. Each target has five plates, fixed in a straight row, which the athlete must hit the middle (the bull's eye). The bull's eye size changes depending on whether the athlete is shooting in a prone or standing position. Prone, the bull's eye is the size of a golf ball (45mm); standing, it's the size of a large grapefruit (115mm).
A top athlete usually takes 20 to 25 seconds to aim and shoot five bullets. Missing a target plate can be costly: depending on the event, a missed shot means either one minute of added time or having to ski a 150-metre penalty loop.
Although all biathlon disciplines combine skiing and marksmanship, the sport features several distinct events: the Individual Start, the Sprint, the Pursuit, the Mass Start and the Relay.
Cross-country skiers competed at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, in 1924, in 18-kilometre and 50-kilometre races for men. Women cross-country skiers made their debut at the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo. The cross-country skiing technique known as skating or free technique became a separate Olympic competitive discipline at the Calgary 1988 Winter Games.
How It Works
Racers use two basic techniques in cross-country: classical, where the skis move parallel to each other through machine-groomed tracks in the snow, and free technique where skiers propel themselves in a manner similar to speed skating, pushing off with the edge of their skis. Free technique uses shorter skis and is slightly faster than classical – on average about 8% faster over an entire race distance.
In Olympic cross-country skiing, women compete in individual sprint, team sprint, 10 km individual start, 15 km pursuit, 30 km mass start and the 4x5-km relay. Men compete in individual sprint, team sprint, 15 km individual start, 30 km pursuit, 50 km mass start and the 4x10 km relay. The technique used (classical versus free) in the 10 and 15 km individual start, individual sprint, team sprint and mass start alternates with each cycle of Olympic Games.
Throughout Norway in the 1800s, skiers gathered each winter for a series of ski carnivals – essentially small competitions with a little popular entertainment thrown in. A small group of these winter athletes specialized in both cross-country skiing, which demands endurance and strength, and ski jumping, which requires physical strength and technical control. These athletes were considered the very best of all the carnival athletes.
Men have competed in Nordic combined individual events since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, in 1924. The team event was introduced at the Calgary 1988 Winter Games, while the sprint event joined the Olympic Winter Games at Salt Lake City in 2002.
How It Works
In the Olympic Nordic combined events, men compete in individual, sprint and team events. The jumping portion occurs first followed by a free technique cross-country race. The break between the jumping and the cross-country race can be as little as 35 minutes or as long as a few hours.
Known as a "Gunderson" or pursuit start, in each of the events, the results of the jumping generate the starting seed for the cross-country race that follows seeing the second and subsequent athletes begin seconds or even minutes after the best jumper. Using pack-racing strategies, the athletes cluster into "trains" that chase down other "trains'" of athletes. The winner of the Nordic combined event is the first athlete across the cross-country finish line.
The first known ski jumper was a Norwegian lieutenant named Olaf Rye, who launched himself 9.5 metres in the air in 1809 before an audience of other soldiers. The continued desire to jump longer led to the radical new development in 1985 of V-style, where a ski jumper holds his skis in a V-shaped position (instead of parallel) while in the air. Most ski jumpers of the day laughed at this innovation but eventually sport science caught up realized that V-style produced 28 per cent more lift.
Men's ski jumping has been part of the Olympic Winter Games since the first Games in Chamonix, in 1924. The large hill competition was added for the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck.
How It Works
In ski jumping, an athlete skis down a long ramp, referred to as the inrun and launches into the air at speeds of up to 95 km/h. Technique is integral to ski jumping as athletes must perform a very precise and well-timed takeoff. Once in the air, athletes assume the V-style airfoil and adjusts his position to maximize lift and minimize drag.
Competitors are evaluated on distance and style. While there is a very close relationship between distance and style, and the skier with the longest jump will often have the highest style points, an exception to this can be found in the landing portion. Long jumps can make landing in a controlled telemark position more difficult. The quality of landing can therefore be a determining factor in deciding on finishing place if the distances are similar.
Two jumps are used in Olympic competition: normal hill and large hill, with the normal hill being the smaller of the two. The jump's actual height is of little importance; it's the length of jump that the hill is designed to accommodate that's key. Athletes can travel 105 metres on a normal hill and 140 metres on a large hill.
The distance ski jumpers travel in competition is closely regulated by a jury. At the start of the competitive round, the jury selects a start gate that allows the best athletes to fly close to the maximum safe distance. All athletes start from the same gate and, as a result, less proficient jumpers fly a shorter distance. Ski jumps are designed with many start benches allowing the jury to select the appropriate start gate based on conditions as wind, temperature, humidity, snow type and other facts can impact the distance a jumper flies.
