[1][2] Five nations won medals in biathlon, the Soviet Union and Norway leading the medal table with one gold medal each, while East Germany were the only country to win more than one medal.
Hansjörg Knauthe, who was part of both East German medals, was the only athlete to win more than one medal.
Fourteen nations sent biathletes to compete in Sapporo.
Below is a list of the competing nations; in parentheses are the number of national competitors.
Italy made its Olympic biathlon debut.