Cross-country skiing is a sport that presents different formats of cross country races through courses of varying duration. The lengths of the courses comply with the laws authorized by the International Ski Federation and by several other national organizations. Some of the national organizations include Cross Country Ski Canada and US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA). International cross-country skiing competitions include the Winter Olympic Games, the FIS Nordic World Skiing Championship and the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup. Sport includes races that take place on homologated courses prepared to support freestyle and track events where skiers could apply skateboarding. The sport also offers cross-country skiing orienteering events licensed by the International Orienteering Federation and ski marathon events authorized by the Worldloppet Ski Federation. Other related forms of competition include para-Olympic cross-country skiing in which athletes with disabilities are allowed to compete and also biathlon which is a combination of ski and rifle shooting.
Chronology
For centuries, skiing was necessary to chase the game and collect firewood during the winter in the snowy north. Since most of the communities were isolated and the region experienced snowy winters, skiing became a significant lifestyle because it was one of the most important means of keeping in touch socially. The term “ski” is a Norwegian word that derives from “skid”, a word Old norse which means a length of wood that has been divided. The units of the Norwegian army skied for sport and won prizes during the 18th century. The techniques used in cross-country skiing have evolved from the most advanced in-track technique to skate-skiing. The ski equipment has evolved from wooden poles and skis to those made of polyethylene plastic fiberglass and carbon fiber. The first cross country race took place in 1842, while the well-known Holmenkollen ski festival began in 1892 and focused mainly on the Nordic combined event. However, an independent cross country race was incorporated into the festival in 1901.
The first forms of cross-country skiing
There are various types of skis originating from different places almost simultaneously. For example, a form of ski composed of a horizontal tip-piece bond. Another example known as the skiing of Eastern Siberia was ideally a thin board consisting of a structure with four vertical holes and occasionally wrapped in fur. Modern ski bindings evolved from the Fennoscandian model of the 19th century. The current cross-country skiing has evolved from the type known as Lapp which used a horizontal stem attachment.
At the Winter Olympics
Once every four years, an important international sporting event known as the Winter Olympic Games takes place. The first cross-country skiing championship at the Winter Olympics took place in Chamonix, France, during the 1924 Winter Olympics. Since the event was in the first Winter Olympic Games, cross-country skiing is among the top five major disciplines . However, cross-country events evolved from their debut at the 1924 Winter Olympic Games. The women’s cross-country skiing competition at the Winter Olympics debuted in 1952. Four years later the women’s 3×5 km and the male 30 km. In 1964, the Winter Olympics added the 5km women’s competition, and later in 1976, the Winter Paralympics have added the Paralympic cross-country skiing competition. In 1980, the 20 km women’s competition was added to the Winter Olympics and in 2002 the appearance of the start and mass sprint events took place in Salt Lake City.
