Military Origins

1767: The First Competition

Although biathlon probably began millennia ago when a man went out in winter on some rough-fashioned skis, shooting or spearing a wild animal for his dinner, the sport's actual roots come from the military, starting in the 1700's. The first recorded biathlon competition occurred in 1767 between "ski-runner companies," guarding the Swedish/Norwegian border. These military companies in the Nordic countries were typically trained to patrol borders and lead offensives over snow-covered terrain.

A black-and-white photo from early Winter Olympics showing a four-man military patrol team on skis, in white uniforms, saluting an officer during the demonstration event.

A historical black-and-white photograph of soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division in white camouflage, skiing in formation with rifles on their backs, demonstrating the military application of ski patrols.

WWI & WWII: Tactics Advance

This training advanced, spreading to other European countries through the 1800's and by World War 1, these winter tactics were used by both sides of the conflict. Before the start of World War 2, Finnish ski troops successfully kept the Russian invaders at bay along the border in 1939. This success inspired more nations to create ski troops, including the USA's famous 10th Mountain Division that gained fame breaching the seemingly impenetrable Gothic Line in northern Italy in World War 2.

1924: Olympic Winter Games Debut

The rise of the military ski troops led to the first and only appearance of Military Patrol as an Olympic medal sport in the 1924 Chamonix Olympic Winter Games (OWG). Four-man teams, led by an officer covered a 30 km course, carrying backpacks, and military rifles. Partway through the course, 18 targets were set at 250 meters. Each of the three riflemen (the officer did not shoot) had six shots, with every hit target worth a 30-second time bonus. Switzerland won the Gold medal in a time just over 4 hours.

Military Patrol continued in the 1928, 1936, and 1948 OWG as a demonstration sport, fading into history but leaving a legacy that morphed into modern biathlon in the mid-1950's.

A 1968 black-and-white photo of an early biathlon shooting range, where an athlete takes aim in the standing position, highlighting the sport's evolution from purely military exercises.