The final weekend of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina is underway, with biathlon events taking center stage on Saturday, February 14th. The Anterselva Biathlon Arena in the Province of Bolzano, Italy, is hosting the competitions, a venue already renowned for its biathlon World Cups and championships.
Today’s schedule began with the Mixed Relay, featuring teams comprised of both men and women. The event, which commenced at 14:05 Central European Time, sets the tone for a busy day of biathlon action. Following the relay, the Men’s Individual event took place at 14:00 CET on Monday, February 9th, and the Women’s Individual event followed at 14:00 CET on Tuesday, February 10th.
The biathlon program continues on Thursday, February 12th, with the Men’s Sprint at 14:30 CET, and the Women’s Sprint on Friday, February 13th, also at 14:30 CET. The culmination of the biathlon events will be the Women’s 12.5km Mass Start final on Saturday, February 21st.
Biathlon uniquely combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, demanding both physical endurance and precision marksmanship. Athletes navigate a course on skis, pausing at shooting ranges to target specific goals. Penalties, typically in the form of added skiing laps or time, are incurred for missed shots. A total of 210 quota places have been allocated for biathlon at these Olympic Games, split equally between men and women.
Qualification for these places was determined through the 2024/25 World Cup Nations Cup standings. The top three-ranked nations each secured six quotas per gender, whereas nations ranked fourth through tenth received five quotas per gender, and those ranked eleventh through twentieth received four quotas per gender. This system aims to balance representation from leading biathlon nations with opportunities for broader international participation.
The Anterselva Biathlon Arena, known locally as Antholz, has a rich history in the sport, hosting World Cup events annually since 1991 and six World Championships. The arena’s location within the Dolomites provides a striking alpine backdrop for the competitions, and can accommodate up to 23,000 spectators during major events. Athletes such as Lukas Hofer and Dorothea Wierer have strong ties to the venue, and it also honors pioneers like Paul Zingerle.
Beyond the sprint and individual races, the Olympic biathlon schedule includes pursuit and mass start events for both men and women, as well as relay races. The men’s events consist of a 10km sprint, a 20km individual race, a 12.5km pursuit, a 15km mass start, and a 4×7.5km relay. The women’s events mirror these, with distances adjusted to 7.5km for the sprint, 15km for the individual race, 10km for the pursuit, and 12.5km for the mass start, alongside a 4x6km relay.
