Biathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California with the men's 20 km individual event.

At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4 × 7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, a mass start (15 km for men and 12.5 km for women) was introduced where the top 30 biathletes from the previous four events were allowed to start together for the competition.

Medals were awarded for military patrol in 1924, but it was a demonstration event for the other three Winter Games.

Media related to Biathlon at the Olympics at Wikimedia Commons