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A mixed relay team consists of two women (first and second legs) and two men (last two legs). The first biathletes for each team have a mass start and upon completion of their leg must tag the next team member by hand within the exchange zone to go on the course. The first team to have its final biathlete cross the finish line is the winner.

A relay leg

1. The biathletes ski the first lap of their course, then enter the shooting range. They must try to hit five targets while shooting from the prone position.

2. The biathletes ski the second lap of their course, then enter the shooting range. This time they must try to hit five targets while shooting from the standing position.

3. The biathletes ski the final lap of their course, then enter the exchange zone at the start/finish area. Here they must tag the next teammate by hand so he or she can start the next leg.

The course

A) The Shooting range

The biathletes have five rounds (ammunition) for five targets. They also carry three extra relay rounds which must be loaded individually, by hand, if the first five shots are unsuccessful.

B) The penalty loop

If an athlete still misses a target (pictured below), even after using the three reserve shots, he or she is assigned a lap of the 150 m penalty loop for each missed target.

Canadians to watch

Megan Imrie, Zina Kocher, Scott Perras and Brendan Green have recently raced on the World Cup circuit as a mixed team.

GRAPHICS BY TRISH MCALASTER/THE GLOBE AND MAIL