Whistler Olympic Park will be the venue for four Olympic sports — biathlon, cross-country skiing, nordic combined and ski jumping — collectively known as the Nordic sports. This is the first time in Games history that all four Nordic disciplines will be hosted at the same venue. Combined, these sports will account for 1/3 of the total medals contested at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Nordic skiing has cultural traditions dating back thousands of years when humans used skis for hunting and transportation in the winter. There’s no doubt that some form of ski racing has been around from the beginning but serious competition in Nordic sports was not documented until the middle of the nineteenth century.
Cross-country skiing and ski jumping have been a part of the Olympic Winter Games since the first Games in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Biathlon was initially included as a demonstration sport and became a full medal sport in 1960. Women first competed in cross-country skiing at the Oslo Olympic Winter Games in 1952 and have competed in Olympic biathlon since 1992 in Albertville.
Paralympic skiing for both men and women has grown in popularity since the inaugural Paralympic Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden in 1976. Paralympic biathlon was introduced at the 1988 Paralympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria and now 50 per cent of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games medal events will be contested at Whistler Paralympic Park in both biathlon and cross-country.
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport enjoyed by millions around the world as a part of an active, healthy lifestyle and many also participate in ski jumping and biathlon through organized programs. The cross-country trails, biathlon range and ski jumps of Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park will be open before and after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for local residents, visitors and athletes alike to enjoy.
Competition events include: