There are three Nordic combined events at the Olympics, each of which consists of a ski jumping round and a cross-country race: the individual normal hill/10km race, the individual large hill/10km and the large hill/2x7.5km race, which is a team sprint. In the team event, pairs of athletes from the same country compete together. 

Both events happen on the same day. Athletes participate in the jumping competition first.

Because ski jumping and cross-country skiing are graded on two different scales (points vs. time), Nordic combined used a standardized conversion system to evaluate both events using the same scale, called the Gundersen method. 

The Gundersen method translates the points an athlete earns in ski jumping to time. After the ski jumping competition, an athlete’s jump points are converted into time penalties, which determine the start order for the cross-country race. In the two individual events, one point equals four seconds, while one point is equal to 1.33 seconds in the team event.

In each of the two individual events, athletes begin with one scored jumping round on either a normal or large hill. After each athlete jumps, they compete in a 10km cross-country race (approximately 6.2 miles).

The team event begins similarly. Each athlete in the pair takes one jump from the large hill. The teams then are seeded for the race, in which each skier completes five laps of a 1.5km course for a total of 7.5km (approximately 4.66 miles). Skiers alternate laps, and relay exchanges must take place in the designated exchange area.

In all three of the events, the gold medal is awarded to the racer (or relay teammate) who crosses the finish line first, followed by the second place finisher, and so on.

In ski jumping, athletes primarily earn points for distance and style. Distance points are determined by the K-point, which refers to the part of the hill where it begins to flatten out. A jumper who reaches the K-point automatically receives 60 points. Landing beyond the K-point earns more distance points, while landing before the K-point earns fewer. 

Even though large hills offer more distance for each jump, the points-per-meter value is higher on normal hills. Jumpers earn 1.8 points for every meter they land beyond the K-point (losing the same amount for every meter they fall short of the K-point) on large hills, while short hills award/deduct two points for every meter. 

Before an athlete jumps, the technical jury or a coach may adjust the elevation of the starting gate to account for wind changes, athlete skill or other factors which may impact overall safety. As such, judges can modify a jumper’s score to account for advantages and disadvantages created by the gate position. Points are reduced for a higher starting gate, while points are added for a lower start gate. 

Similarly, judges may add or deduct points to a jumper’s overall style score to account for favorable or unfavorable wind conditions. For example, if there is a tailwind which pushes the jumper backward, judges may add points; likewise, if there is a headwind, giving athletes more lift, points are subtracted. This addition to the scoring was first used at the Olympics in 2014.

In the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined competition, athletes compete in reverse order according to the World Cup standings for the individual events and the Nations Cup standings for the team event. 

The results from the ski jumping competition determine the start order for the cross-country race. After the ski jumping round concludes, each athlete’s point total is converted to time penalties according to the Gundersen method in order to determine the staggered starting order for the cross-country race. The fewer points an athlete has, the more time they must wait to start the race. Thus, the winner of the ski jumping competition starts the cross-country race first.