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Every winter Olympic sport ranked by how frequently your uncle thinks ‘I could do that’

By Gabe Henderson

Mirela Rahneva of Canada competes in the first run of the women's skeleton event during the fifth of eight races within the 2017-2018 IBSF World Cup Bobsled and Skeleton series on December 15, 2017 at the Olympic ice track in Innsbruck/Igls ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, which be held in February in South Korea. / AFP PHOTO / APA AND EXPA / Johann GRODER / Austria OUT (Photo credit should read JOHANN GRODER/AFP/Getty Images)
Mirela Rahneva of Canada competes in the first run of the women's skeleton event during the fifth of eight races within the 2017-2018 IBSF World Cup Bobsled and Skeleton series on December 15, 2017 at the Olympic ice track in Innsbruck/Igls ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, which be held in February in South Korea. / AFP PHOTO / APA AND EXPA / Johann GRODER / Austria OUT (Photo credit should read JOHANN GRODER/AFP/Getty Images) /
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LE GRAND BORNAND, FRANCE – DECEMBER 17: 5th place Benjamin Weger of Switzerland shoots during the IBU Biathlon World Cup Men’s Mass Start on December 17, 2017 in Le Grand Bornand, France. (Photo by Richard Bord/Getty Images)
LE GRAND BORNAND, FRANCE – DECEMBER 17: 5th place Benjamin Weger of Switzerland shoots during the IBU Biathlon World Cup Men’s Mass Start on December 17, 2017 in Le Grand Bornand, France. (Photo by Richard Bord/Getty Images) /

11. Biathlon

As was the case with the Nordic combined, lots do not truly know what the biathlon is. A majority of men trying to show off would see shooting and say ‘Oh, I could do that’. Shooting (for some reason) makes men feel more masculine, hence why your uncle would claim to be able to compete in a biathlon. However, a biathlon is much more than shooting. The biathlon combines rifle shooting with cross-country skiing. Yup, cross-country skiing is back, making another appearance on the list.

The biathlon has 11 events in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang spread out over the course of 10 days. The biathlon has been a part of the Olympics since 1924, but was officially named a sport and integrated into the Olympics in 1960. Before then, the biathlon was used as a military display. The military patrol version of the biathlon made its debut in 1924 and appeared in multiple Olympic games thereafter (1928, 1936, and 1948). The biathlon has both team and individual races, as many other events do with 20 km (nearly 12.5 miles) the furthest distance being traveled.

Surely the biathlon would be much higher if one were to just eliminate the cross-country skiing aspect of the event. However, that’s not how it works. Unfortunately for all the boastful uncles out there who want to put their shooting skills to the test, you’ll have to wait for the 2020 Summer Olympics for that because rifle shooting and cross-country skiing are inseparable during the Winter Olympics. Overall, the cross-country skiing is a deal breaker for the ‘I could do that’ comments. The uncles out there may want to rethink that and do some research on the biathlon instead of just glancing at the shooting portion and jumping to conclusions.

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