Biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics
| Dates | 9 – 11 February 1972 |
|---|---|
| Medal Events | 2 |
As in 1968 the biathlon program consisted of a 20 km individual event for men, and a 4x7½ km relay. The events were held at the Makomanai Biathlon Site in Sapporo. This was on courses constructed in Makomanai Park, which was specially built for the Sapporo Olympics, but by 1975 was converted into a park for public use. The park currently has a stadium, an ice rink, gymnasium, and several shops.
Five different nations won medals in the two events, with the German Democratic Republic winning two medals, a silver and bronze. Magnar Solberg defended his individual gold medal while the Soviet Union won the relay.
Events
| Event | Status | Date | Participants | NOCs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 kilometres, Men | Olympic | 9 February 1972 | 54 | 14 |
| 4 × 7.5 kilometres Relay, Men | Olympic | 11 February 1972 | 52 | 13 |
| 62 (62/0) | 14 (14/0) |
Medals
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 kilometres, Men | Magnar Solberg |  NOR |
Hansjörg Knauthe |  GDR |
Lars-Göran Arwidson |  SWE |
| 4 × 7.5 kilometres Relay, Men | Soviet Union |  URS |
Finland |  FIN |
East Germany | GDR |
Medal table
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | NOR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Soviet Union | URS |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| East Germany | GDR |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Finland | FIN |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden | SWE |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |