Biathlon combines two sports – cross-country skiing and shooting – into one race. The biathlon first made its debut 66 years ago in the 1960 Winter Olympics at the renamed Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley near Lake Tahoe. This year, the Winter Olympic biathlon games will be held in Antholz (Anterselva), Italy.

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — Johan-Olav Botn of Norway shot perfectly in his Olympic debut to secure the gold medal in the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Tuesday.

From the events to the format, here's everything to know for the biathlon action at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

The sport of biathlon is experiencing a surge of popularity. Only ice hockey has outperformed biathlon in terms of ticket sales for the 2026 Games in Italy.

France dominated the second half of the mixed relay biathlon race at the Milan Cortina Olympics with fast skiing and strong shooting to take gold ahead of Italy and Germany.

Biathlon is back at the Winter Olympics. Here's a look at all the equipment that biathletes will use for Milan Cortina 2026: Olympic biathletes use the following equipment:

Olympic biathletes shoot at targets using .22-caliber rifles while racing on cross-country skis. Here’s a closer look at the combined sporting event. (Photo: AP)

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — U.S. Biathlon head coach Armin Auchentaller learned to cross-country ski on the trails that weave through the thick forests lining the Antholz valley in Northern Italy. Before he was even born,