Nordic Combined individual events have been part of the Olympic Winter program since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924.
Nordic Combined individual events have been part of the Olympic Winter program since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924.
The team event was introduced at the 1988 Calgary Games, with three athletes per team taking part, while at Nagano in 1998, each team counted four persons.
Nordic Combined events include a ski jumping competition (1 jump) and a 10 km cross-country skiing race.
There are three events in the Olympic program in Nordic Combined: Individual men Normal Hill (HS 105), Team men Large Hill 4 x 5 km and Individual men Large Hill (HS 140). HS stands for Hill Size and refers to the longest safe distance flown by the best athletes on a given hill.
The individual events are also known as the Individual Gundersen and encompass one competition jump on either a HS 105 or HS 140 ski jumping hill and a 10 km cross-country ski race. Points are scored for distance and style in ski jumping. The racers with most ski jumping points will start first in the cross-country portion, followed by the next best jumper after a gap which reflects the difference in their jumping scores and so on. This means that the first cross-country skier to cross the finish line is also the winner of the event. This method of competition, also known as the Gundersen method, was introduced in the mid 1980s.
The team event is similar to the individual event, but contested by teams of four athletes. Each takes one jump on a HS 140 m hill, with all the jumps counting towards the team total.
A difference of forty-five points translates to a one minute advantage in the second event, the 4 x 5 km cross-country relay.
As with the Individual events, the Gundersen method is used to determine starting times in the relay. The winner is the team whose final skier crosses the finish line first.
During Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, Nordic Combined events will be held at the «RusSki Gorki» Jumping Center on the Northern slope of Aibga Ridge in Krasnaya Polyana. First time in the Olympic History the ski jumps outrun will be combined with the start and finish area of the Nordic Combined Cross Country.
