Mass Start
The mass start event was introduced at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Skiers start simultaneously lined up in an arrow format with the best-ranked positioned at the arrow’s point. The women’s event is 30 km and the men’s is 50 km. Skiing shorter loops in this event allows competitors to pass through the stadium every 10 to 12 minutes. The first athlete across the line wins. It is not uncommon for 10 skiers to be fighting for the line, often resulting in a photo-finish.

Pursuit
The pursuit event combines a classical technique part followed by a free technique part. Similar to the mass start event, competitors start simultaneously, lined up in an arrow format with the best-ranked skiers at its point. At the halfway point of the race, athletes enter the stadium and change skis and poles as quickly as possible. The women ski 7.5 km classical followed by 7.5 km free while the men ski 15 km classical followed by 15 km free. Short loops ensure the competitors pass through the stadium every 6 to 8 minutes. The first athlete over the finish line wins.

Individual Sprint
The individual sprint begins with a qualification round where skiers start in 15-second intervals skiing one lap of the 1.2 km (women) or 1.4 km (men) course. The top 30 finishers from this round advance to the quarter finals. The quarter-final, semi-final and A-and B-final rounds have six skiers in each heat with the top two skiers from each heat, plus the top two fastest from each round advancing to the next round. The A-final consists of 6 skiers vying for the gold medal.

Team Sprint
In the team sprint, each team consists of two athletes who alternate skiing the sprint course three times each for a total of 6 laps. After an initial semi-final round consisting of 10-15 teams in each heat, the best five teams from two semi-finals qualify for the final round. Athletes must perform a correct exchange between laps by physically touching their teammate without interfering or obstructing other teams. The winning team is the first team to cross the finish line after the completion of all 6 laps.

Relays
In the relay event, teams of four ski the first two legs of the relay using the classical style, and the last two legs using free technique. The women ski four 5 km legs for a total of 20 km while the men ski four 10 km legs for a total of 40 km. The relay begins in a mass start format with teams lined up in rows and the exchange between skiers is similar to that in the team sprint competition. The winning team is the first across the finish line after the completion of the fourth leg.