In biathlon, the athlete skis distances from 6km to 20 km and stops at the shooting range two or four times, depending on the competition. Classical and freestyle (skating) skiing techniques are allowed at any time, with the faster freestyle technique being the more common.

The shooting range is located next to the spectator seating area at the biathlon stadium. Biathletes shoot from individual lanes at a horizontal, five-target board 50 meters away. Target diameters are 45 mm for prone and 115 mm for standing in all events.

In addition to the course loop, there is a 150-meter penalty loop located at the end of the range, near the beginning of the next course loop. Biathletes must ski one penalty loop for every shooting miss in four of the five events.

	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass Start	Relay
Distance	Men: 20km, Women: 15km	Men: 10km, Women: 7.5km	Men: 12.5km, Women: 10km	Men: 15km, Women: 12.5km	Men: 4x7.5km, Women 4x6km
Athlete / Team Limit	None	None	60	30	None
	30-second interval	30-second interval	Chase	Mass	Mass
Shooting (P=Prone, S=Standing)	P-S-P-S	P-S	P-P-S-S	P-P-S-S	P-S
Penalty per miss	One minute	150-meter loop	150-meter loop	150-meter loop	150-meter loop

Individual (Men's 20km, Women's 15km)
The individual race is the traditional biathlon competition and has been contested at every Olympics since 1960. Although it is the longest individual race in terms of skiing distance, it is also the race where shooting accuracy is most important. There are four shooting stops of five targets each, the first and third in the prone (lying) position and the second and fourth in the standing position. A miss is punished by a one-minute penalty, added automatically to the biathlete's time. Because the biathletes start at 30-second intervals, they must rely on coaches to find out race status along the way. The best finishing times in the individual race are normally 53-58 minutes for men, 45-50 minutes for women. Having three or more total misses can remove even the fastest skiers from gold medal contention.

Sprint (Men's 10km, Women's 7.5km)
The sprint is a shortened version of the individual competition, with half the skiing and half the shooting. Like the individual event, competitors start at 30-second intervals and must therefore rely on coaches to determine standings along the way. Unlike the individual, there is no one-minute penalty per miss in shooting. Instead, the competitor must ski a 150-meter loop per miss immediately after the stop. One penalty loop takes 20-25 seconds to ski. The best finishing times are normally 25-28 minutes for men, 22-25 minutes for women. Having two or more total misses can remove even the fastest skiers from gold medal contention.

Pursuit (Men's 12.5km, Women's 10km)
Only the top 60 finishers in the sprint qualify for the pursuit. Like the individual event, there are four shooting stops of five targets each. In a slight deviation, the first and second stops are done in the prone (lying) position, the third and fourth in the standing position. Like the sprint, the competitor must ski a 150-meter loop per miss immediately after the stop. One penalty loop takes 20-25 seconds to ski. The most obvious race format difference comes at the start and the finish. Each biathlete starts based on his/her time in the sprint. (Example: If biathlete A finished 30 seconds ahead of biathlete B in the Sprint, A will start the Pursuit 30 seconds before B.) Also, the first biathlete to cross the finish line is the winner. If any biathlete is lapped during the competition, he or she must withdraw from the competition at an area connected to the shooting range. The best finishing times are normally 25-28 minutes for men, 22-25 minutes for women. Having two or more total misses can remove even the fastest skiers from gold medal contention.

Mass Start (Men's 15km, Women's 12.5km)
Only the top 30 ranked biathletes after the last World Cup event prior to the Olympic Games qualify for the mass start. Like the pursuit, shooting follows the sequence of prone, prone, standing, standing. At the first shooting, the competitors shoot at the numbered shooting range matching their bib numbers. Starting from the second shooting, the competitors shoot according to their actual order of arrival at the shooting range, starting on the free shooting lanes from the right. The competitor must ski a 150-meter loop per miss immediately after the stop. If any biathlete is lapped during the competition, he or she must withdraw from the competition at an area connected to the shooting range. The first team to finish wins the race. The best finishing times are normally 40-43 minutes for men, 35-38 minutes for women. Having two or more total misses can remove even the fastest skiers from gold medal contention.

Relay (Men's 4x7.5km, Women's 4x6km)
The first members of each qualified team take off in a simultaneous start, then "pass the baton" after each leg with a pat on the back of the teammate. Each member shoots twice, once each in the prone and the standing position. There is one twist. In addition to the magazine holding five rounds, each team member carries three extra bullets that may be used. If all five targets are not hit with the five rounds in the magazine, the spare rounds must be loaded individually by hand. Time is lost, and pressure mounts for the biathlete and team. If there are still un-hit targets, the biathlete must ski a 150-meter loop per miss immediately after the stop. The first team to finish wins the race.