The biathlon is an exciting winter sport that puts together cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

It first appeared at the Olympics as a male-only event in 1960 with women participating from 1992 onwards.

With origins in the hunting traditions, its history can be traced to Scandinavian cultures that revered ancient gods associated with archery, and gradually became part of military training in those countries.

The biathlon course consists of a cross-country skiing trail and a shooting area where the athlete uses a small-bore rifle to aim at each target. The winner is the competitor who records the shortest time or the first to reach the finish line.

In the individual event, start times are staggered, normally by 30 seconds. Each athlete has to shoot four times at the designated target. Each rifle holds four magazines, and the sequence of shooting is prone, standing, prone, and standing. For each missed target, a fixed penalty time, usually one minute, is added to the skiing time of the biathlete.

Biathlon require athletes to have the ability to move from motion to static and vice versa. In cross-country skiing, heart rates can reach 200 beats per minute. This makes aiming and shooting accurately even more challenging. Biathletes must adjust their breathing to stabilize oneself.

All biathlon events at the Beijing Olympics were held at the National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, an area just outside the Chinese capital. This is one of three new venues created especially for the Games, with a capacity for 6000 spectators.

It has 11 tracks and a total length of 8.7 km, built along the natural terrain of the mountain. Outside the track is the technical building with another 5.2 sqm of space.

In the Winter Olympics, eleven events featured at the National Biathlon Center. The Paralympics immediately followed with 38 gold medals, almost half of the total number of gold medals.

A series of barrier-free facilities have been added to all venues. For example, there are barrier-free ramps to facilitate disabled athletes and spectators to reach the competition venues and stands, and the best seats are also reserved for disabled spectators.

The elevator doors are designed to be wide, and there are signs for the disabled in the elevators to facilitate their use.

Before being built, the National Biathlon Center was thoughtfully designed to enjoy an after-life beyond the Olympics and Paralympics.

The 4km of the core circle is laid with asphalt and can be converted into a roller skating course for competition and summer training after the Winter Olympics.

The rest of the track will be filled in with gravel, which can be transformed for mountain biking and hiking trails, reflecting the green and sustainable legacy of the Beijing Games.