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Individual Start

In this event, women race 10 kilometres and men race 15 kilometres. A competitor starts every 30 seconds, with the best skiers starting at the very end. Skiers race against the clock. The winner is the skier with the lowest time.

Mass Start

The mass start event was introduced at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Skiers start simultaneously, lined up in an arrow format. The best-ranked skiers are positioned at the arrow’s point. The ladies’ event is 30 kilometres and the men’s event is 50 kilometres. Skiing shorter loops in this event allows competitors to pass through the stadium every 10 to 12 minutes. The first athlete across the line wins. It is not uncommon for 10 skiers to be fighting for the line, often resulting in a photo finish (when the athletes cross the finish line so close together, the winner must be determined by a photograph taken at the moment of crossing).

Pursuit

The pursuit event combines both a classic technique leg followed by a free technique leg. Similar to the mass start event, competitors begin simultaneously, lined up in an arrow format with the best-ranked skiers at the arrow’s point. At the race’s halfway mark, athletes enter the stadium and change skis and poles as quickly as possible. The women ski a 7.5-kilometre. classic course, followed by 15 kilometres of free technique; the men ski 15 kilometres classic followed by 15 kilometres free. Short loops ensure the competitors pass through the stadium every six to eight minutes. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins.

Individual Sprint

The individual sprint begins with a qualification round where skiers start in 15-second intervals skiing one lap of the 1.2-kilometre (women) or 1.4-kilometre (men) course. The top 30 finishers from this round advance to the quarter finals. The quarter-final, semi-final and A-and B-final rounds have six skiers in each heat; the top two skiers from each heat, and the top two fastest skiers from each round, advance to the next round. The A-final consists of six skiers vying for the gold medal.

Team Sprint

In team sprint, teams consist of two athletes who alternate skiing the sprint course, three times each, for a total of six laps. After an initial semi-final round, consisting of 10-15 teams in each heat, the best five teams from two semi-finals qualify for the final round. Athletes must perform a correct exchange between laps by physically touching their teammate without interfering or obstructing other teams. The winning team is the first team to cross the finish line after the completion of all six laps.

Relay

In the relay event, teams of four ski the first two legs of the relay using the classic technique, and the last two legs using free technique. The women ski four x 5-kilometre legs for a total of 20 kilometres while the men ski four x 10-kilometre legs for a total of 40 kilometres. The relay begins in a mass start format with teams lined up in rows; the exchange between skiers is similar to that in the team sprint competition. The winning team is the first to cross the finish line after the fourth leg of the relay has been completed.