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Monday, August 18, 2008

Nordic Combined


ABOUT

Nordic combined has its 5,000 year-old roots in Norway. It involves ski jumping, which requires physical strength and technical control, and cross-country skiing which demands endurance and strength. Nordic combined individual events have been included since the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix - Mont Blanc in 1924.

COMPETITION

All three Nordic combined events consist of a ski jumping competition and a cross-country skiing race. For the Individual Gundersen event, ski jumping takes place on the normal hill (90 metres). For the Team and the sprint events, ski jumping takes place on the large hill (120m). The cross-country portion of the Individual Gundersen event has a 15km race, the sprint event has a 7.5km race, and the team event has a 4x5km relay.

Individual Gundersen
Each competitor in the Individual Gundersen event takes two jumps on the normal hill during the first part of the competition. Each jump is scored for length and style. In the second part of the competition, each competitor participates in the 15km cross-country race. The start order for this race is determined by the ski jumping results. The winner of the ski jumping competition starts in first place and the points from ski jumping are converted into time differences for the starting order of the cross-country race.

Sprint
The sprint event is contested with a large-hill competition and a 7.5km cross-country race. Unlike in the individual Gundersen event, the ski jumping portion of the sprint event is performed on the large hill and includes one jump instead of two. In the second part of the competition, each competitor will compete in the 7.5km cross-country event. The start order for this race is determined on the basis of the ski jumping results. The winner of the ski jumping competition starts in first place and the points from ski jumping are converted into time differences for the starting order of the cross-country race.

Team
Each team consists of four jumpers who take two jumps off the normal hill on the first part of the competition. The team's score in the jumping portion is the total score of the eight jumps. The same skiers who participate in the jumping must compete in the 4x5km relay. As in the Individual Gundersen and SPRINT events, the Gundersen Method is used to determine the start times in the relay. The winner is the team whose final skier crosses the finish line first.

LIST OF EVENTS *

  • - individual Men
  • - sprint Men
    - Team Men

* On the Programme of the XX Olympic Winter Games, Torino 2006

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