2026 Winter Olympic Cross Country Skiing Betting Odds

Cross Country Skiing Events At Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games

Cross Country Skiing is made up of 6 disciplines, and both men and women compete in each. The events can either be run in the classic style, or the skate skiing technique, also known as the freestyle technique. Cross Country tracks are broken into three equal segments of uphill courses, even courses, and downhill courses.

Of the six disciplines within Olympic Cross Country Skiing, there are four individual events. The first is actually called the Individual. In this part of the competition, the women representing their countries will run a 10Km race, using the freestyle technique. Men run this event for 15Km and do it in either the classic or freestyle technique. Next is the Sprint. This is a short-distance race where the women run 0.8 to 1.6km, and men run 1 to 1.8km. The Sprint can be run in either the classical or freestyle technique. Both of these races dictate that athletes have a 30-second interval between start times.

The next two individual events are the Skiathlon and the Mass Start. In the Skiathlon event, all competitors start at the same time. Women run a 15Km race. Men run a 30Km race. The first half of this discipline is run in the classic technique while the second half is run in the freestyle technique. The two different techniques require different equipment, which requires a change in the middle of the race. This equipment change is timed. Mass Start is another competition in which all of the athletes begin together. In this event, women use the freestyle technique and run 30Km. Men use the classic or freestyle technique to run 50Km.

There are two team disciplines in Cross Country Skiing. First is the Team Sprint. This is a short-distance relay race. Two athletes per team compete, alternating through 3 to 6 sectors. The women cover .8 to 1.6Km, and men cover 1 to 1.8Km. The final event is the Relay. In the competition, each team has 4 athletes. The first two run the classic technique, while the last two go in the freestyle technique. The women’s team runs a total of 20Km, while the men’s team runs a total of 40Km.