A biathlon is a winter sport combining the exciting cross country skiing with rifle shooting. A summer variant is also available, however, which combines rifle shooting with cross country running and there are more modern versions combining both running and swimming. Because of this, biathlons are definitely worth a bet - and their often unpredictable nature makes for great odds and potentially huge returns on any bet!

As one of the most cherished sports in the Winter Olympics, the biathlon is popular. In addition, there are World Championships and the sport has even been included in the Olympic Games so there are loads of opportunities to watch the biathlon event - and to place a bet on your favourites!

There are six types of biathlon formats to choose from, each of which are often performed at Olympic events. The team biathlon was phased out in 2004 at the World Cup level, but you can still enjoy individual sprint, pursuit, mass start, relay and mixed relay events, with each of these offering a twist on the biathlon format. Here is a quick run down of what they offer:

Individual - The oldest biathlon event. The participants ski 20 kilometres over five laps, before shooting four times at a lane. For each missed target a penalty time is added.

Sprint - A shorter distance (10 kilometres) over three laps, with two shots at a lane.

Pursuit - In this event, participants are separated by their time differences in the sprint and individual races. First over the finish line, wins.

Mass start - As above, but with no time differences.

Relay - A relay version with four biathletes on each team.

Mixed relay - As above, but with two women and two men. A new event.