Cross-country skiing

In cross-country skiing athletes cover distances from sprints to 50 kilometres on snowy courses, using the classic technique (skis in parallel tracks) or the skating technique. It is one of the most demanding endurance sports in the world.

History

Skis have been a means of winter travel for thousands of years among the peoples of Scandinavia and Siberia; the Altai and Sakha (Yakut) peoples have used them since ancient times. Competitive racing began in nineteenth-century Norway. Cross-country skiing has been on the programme since the first Winter Olympics in 1924, with women competing since 1952.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the FIS World Championships, the World Cup, the Tour de Ski and Norway's Holmenkollen races.

Cross-country skiing in the Turkic world

Kazakhstan's Vladimir Smirnov won the 50 km at Lillehammer in 1994, giving his country its first Winter Olympic gold; he won seven Olympic medals and four world titles. Kazakhstan remains one of Asia's strongest skiing schools, and Almaty hosted the 2017 Winter Universiade.