Ski jumping and cross-country skiing perfectly exist as single types of the winter program. But equally well also their symbiosis nicknamed Nordic combined or "the northern combination" lives on sports space (that is closer to the English name – Nordic Combined).
History of this sport as independent discipline began in 1924 when Nordic combined became the part of the competitive program of the Winter Olympic Games. Then, however, it had the appearance other than modern. First, the race preceded the hopping part, but didn't follow it as it occurs now, and, secondly, the system of definition of winners was some indistinct and sophisticated.
Everything changed with arrival to Nordic combined of the Norwegian athlete Gunder Gundersen. As the biathlonist it didn't cause a stir in anything outstanding: on its score only two medals of different test got in the World Cups – the silver award in Falun and "bronze" in Lahti. Really started talking about Gundersen in 20 years after his sports progress when the Norwegian skier became the head of the Committee on Nordic combined which was the part of structure of the International Ski Federation.
In 1980, watching the Olympic tournament of biathlonists as the technical director of competitions, Gundersen thought over the system of counting of points, intelligibly and specifically explaining what advantage will be got by the athlete for the jumping part of competitions (and then already the sequence had the current shape) before the ski race.
Awards in Nordic combined were played (then now) were divided into two views – in the individual competition and in the team championship. In personal disciplines Gundersen suggested "to turn" one point got by the jumper on the springboard in 6.7 seconds on the ski track. The gap in point meant overweight of the leader - "coalminer" of the relay four for team starts – in 5 seconds over the closest persecutor.
Later the transforming coefficient began to undergo changes. In 2010 at the Olympic Games in Vancouver those standards were established that are used to this day: 5 seconds of time are the share of 1 hopping point in individual competitions, and this figure fell in team to 1.33 seconds.
The heritage of Gunder Gundersen who died more than 10 years ago is immortalized also in some other sports using the system in the form of so-called "pursuit" - in particular, cross-country skiing and biathlon.