# Winter Game: Skiing w/Gun? Biatholon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138 "2006-02-26T02:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/1 "2006-02-26T02:47:54Z")
Hey, do they still have that Olympic Winter Sport combining cross-country skiiing with target shooting? Was that called the biatholon (sp?)? Thanks, - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/2 "2006-02-26T02:54:21Z")
Yes, biathlon. [www.nbcolympics.com](http://www.nbcolympics.com) (contains spoilers) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/3 "2006-02-26T03:03:10Z")
I always thought that I would be good at that if I knew how to ski. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/4 "2006-02-26T04:00:30Z")
Naw, just shoot the other skiers. Easy gold. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/5 "2006-02-26T05:25:46Z")
> [@Love Rhombus](#): > > Naw, just shoot the other skiers. Easy gold. They ration out the bullets however, so the other athletes would shoot back before you could get them all. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/6 "2006-02-26T14:26:41Z")
IIRC the fisrt medal of the current olympics was for biathelon. Yesterday (Saturday) NBC showed some of the competition. The best the US has done is 10th. An amaerican was in 6th place with a chance to get into 5th, but he faded at the end and wound up in 13th. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/7 "2006-02-26T14:30:14Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > IIRC the fisrt medal of the current olympics was for biathelon. > Yesterday (Saturday) NBC showed some of the competition. The best the US has done is 10th. An amaerican was in 6th place with a chance to get into 5th, but he faded at the end and wound up in 13th. > > Brian IIRC Biathlon is much more popoular in other countries than it is here. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/8 "2006-02-26T16:59:31Z")
I’d imagine so. You beat the Russian army doing something, you’re going to want to keep being good at it. So will everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/9 "2006-02-26T17:46:11Z")
I don’t know if [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War) is what you’re hinting at, **Love Rhombus** - but it’s an interesting topic in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/10 "2006-02-26T18:36:22Z")
I was thinking of the [Winter War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War), actually, but that one works too. I should had added a link in my other post…sloppy of me. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/11 "2006-02-26T19:11:25Z")
The picture in yours is definitely getting the point across. ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-game-skiing-w-gun-biatholon/346138/12 "2006-02-26T21:52:12Z")
> [@Love Rhombus](#): > > Naw, just shoot the other skiers. Easy gold. That’s what I always thought would be a way to make this boring sport interesting. Everyone starts from a different place at the same time. Last person standing wins the Gold. Silver and Bronze are awarded posthumously.