Cross-country skiing at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games will be contested from Feb. 5-6, 8, 10-13, 16 and 19-20 with medals awarded in 12 events.
- Women's Skiathlon (Feb. 5)
- Men's Skiathlon (Feb. 6)
- Women's Individual Sprint Freestyle (Feb. 8)
- Men's Individual Sprint Freestyle (Feb. 8)
- Women's 10km Classical (Feb. 10)
- Men's 15km Classical (Feb. 11)
- Women's 4x5km Relay (Feb. 12)
- Men's 4x10km Relay (Feb. 13)
- Women's Team Sprint Classical (Feb. 16)
- Men's Team Sprint Classical (Feb. 16)
- Men's 50km Freestyle (Feb. 19)
- Women's 30km Freestyle (Feb. 20)
The sport's Olympic events are broken down into six competition formats:
- Individual
- Sprint
- Team Sprint
- Skiathlon
- Relay
- Mass Start
Each competition includes a men’s and women’s event, with the women racing on a slightly shorter course.
Classical cross-country skiing – kick-and-glide or diagonal – and freestyle, or skating style, are the most basic forms of two skiing techniques used in cross-country races. Skiing techniques are not exclusive to any event or distance, and the FIS designates which technique will be used for each event. For example, at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics the men’s 50km mass start was raced using classical, but in Beijing the 50km will be raced using the freestyle technique.
Two types of race starts are used in cross-country skiing: interval and mass start.
In an interval start, racers leave the start gate one after another every 30 seconds and ski against the clock. The mass start features a more traditional "first to the finish wins" race style.
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Rules
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Equipment
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Competition format
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Qualification & Team USA
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Venue
SEE MORE: Cross-Country Skiing 101: Glossary
