The sport in which Beckie Scott won her bronze medal was in an event specifically labelled the 5 kilometer free pursuit. This event features two separate races on the same day. The first part of the event is 5 kilometers in classical style. The second part is a 5-kilometer freestyle race. Competitors start the freestyle portion staggered according to their finish in the classical portion so the athlete who crosses the finish line first is the winner.

The combined pursuit event has been changed since the Nagano Games. In 1998, the classical and freestyle portions of the pursuit were contested on different days. The 5-kilometer classical was on the first day and was a medal event in addition to being the first part of the pursuit. The freestyle part was on the second day, and in 1998 it measured 10 kilometers. In Salt Lake, the first leg of the pursuit is not a separate medal event.

There are two styles of cross-country skiing: classical and freestyle.

In classical races, skiers use the traditional straight-striding technique (called a "diagonal stride") and do not deviate from distinct parallel tracks. The form required for classical skiing resembles the form used on a typical cross-country exercise machine. From 1924 through 1984, only the classical technique was used in Olympic cross-country competition.

The freestyle technique, which is often referred to as "skating," has no restrictions. The athletes do not keep their skis within narrow tracks but instead push off with both legs in a motion that resembles skating. Freestyle races, which usually are faster than classical races, have been part of the Olympic program since 1988.

The men's and women's sprint events are much different from the other cross-country skiing events because they are contested over a series of rounds rather than a single race. All rounds are races over a 1.5-kilometer course.

All competitors compete in the qualification round. An individual start is used for this round, and competitors are divided into groups and given starting positions the same way they are for other individual start races (see "The draw").

The top 16 skiers from the qualification round advance to the sprint final. The sprint final is a series of elimination races. The first round of the sprint final is the quarterfinals. The 16 competitors are ranked and divided into four groups of four based on the times from the qualification round.

Each of these groups contests a mass-start race over the 1.5-kilometer course. The top two skiers in each race advance to the semifinals. Skiers are allowed to choose their starting position in the mass start based on their rankings for qualifying.

In the semifinals, skiers are seeded based on their performances in the quarterfinals. The winning skiers with the fastest and second-fastest times race in one semifinal, along with the second-place skiers with the slowest and next-slowest time. The other semifinal is comprised of the race winners with the third- and fourth-fastest times and the second-place finisher with the third- and fourth-slowest times. The skiers again contest a mass-start race over the 1.5-kilometer course. Skiers are allowed to choose their starting positions based on their rankings from the quarterfinals.

Two skiers from each semifinal advance to the final. Skiers are seeded in the final based on their results from the semifinals and are allowed to choose their starting positions accordingly. The winner of the final is awarded the gold medal, the second-place finisher gets silver, and the third-place athlete wins the bronze.