The Winter Olympics Have Started; What You Need to Know
The XXIV Olympic Winter Games - aka Beijing 2022 - are upon us. Once thought an unlikely host, China remains determined to deliver its promise of an efficient Games, despite myriad concerns over its hosting swirling.
Competition starts today; curling, ice hockey, figure skating, and freestyle skating all have events occurring ahead of Friday's official starting event, the Opening Ceremony. Overall, there will be 109 medal events across 15 disciplines of seven sports, with ~2,900 athletes competing from ~90 nations across 19 days. Check out some of my leading storylines and questions for each sport discipline.
What to watch before the Opening Ceremony:
Figure skating's team competition (sigh) gets underway with most of its first round action, as probably the highlight of pre-ceremony competition. Expect Team (Russia), Canada, and the United States to lead the way - like they did at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018.
Opening Ceremony
Friday, February 4 @ 8pm China ST / 4am PST / 7am EST
Watch live on NBC; coverage starts at 3:30am PST.
Primetime replay coverage starts at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST.
Expect the ceremony to include the traditional theatrical presentation of the host city and nation, the Parade of Nations, and opening remarks from designated representatives, including International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. The final highlight will be the conclusion of the torch relay, and the lighting of the torch - who will be the last torchbearer is always a closely-guarded secret.
Competition starts today; curling, ice hockey, figure skating, and freestyle skating all have events occurring ahead of Friday's official starting event, the Opening Ceremony. Overall, there will be 109 medal events across 15 disciplines of seven sports, with ~2,900 athletes competing from ~90 nations across 19 days. Check out some of my leading storylines and questions for each sport discipline.
What to watch before the Opening Ceremony:
Figure skating's team competition (sigh) gets underway with most of its first round action, as probably the highlight of pre-ceremony competition. Expect Team (Russia), Canada, and the United States to lead the way - like they did at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018.
Opening Ceremony
Friday, February 4 @ 8pm China ST / 4am PST / 7am EST
Watch live on NBC; coverage starts at 3:30am PST.
Primetime replay coverage starts at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST.
Expect the ceremony to include the traditional theatrical presentation of the host city and nation, the Parade of Nations, and opening remarks from designated representatives, including International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. The final highlight will be the conclusion of the torch relay, and the lighting of the torch - who will be the last torchbearer is always a closely-guarded secret.
The Beijing Olympic National Stadium hosted the 2008 ceremonies (olympics.com)
Covid-19 restrictions will again threaten the pageantry of the festivities. Tokyo 2020's ceremony persevered, and Beijing's ceremony for the 2008 Summer Games was certainly one to remember. Zhang Yimou, who directed that event, is back at the helm for 2022's version.
Important Beijing 2022 Links
Beijing 2022 Official Site
Official news, sports descriptions, results, and more from the International Olympic Committee.
Beijing 2022 Olympic Organizing Committee
Beijing 2022 organization's press releases.
Official Competition Schedule
Note, the linked site's listings are in China Standard Time zone
(= 16hrs ahead of PST)
Cheat Sheet for start times -
- 9am Beijing = 5pm PST / 8pm EST (previous day)
- 1pm Beijing = 9pm PST (previous day) / 12am EST
- 5pm Beijing = 1am PST / 4am EST
- 8pm Beijing = 4am PST / 7am EST
NBC Universal television coverage schedule
NBC's Peacock service will stream all Winter Olympic coverage live.
Additional coverage will be on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, the NBC Sports app, and NBCOlympics.com. Details are found on this press release. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn headlines select Olympians adding color commentary to the coverage.
On Games and Rings, I'll post top select news and previews, with a look at some fun social media from participating Olympic sport athletes. Check out my recent "A Little Roundup" posts for some athlete storylines to watch as the Games unfold.
See sidebar links for news sites and blogs under "Favorite Sites", for, well, news and blog commentary from other sites.
Let's get started! What events are you excited to see?
Official news, sports descriptions, results, and more from the International Olympic Committee.
Beijing 2022 Olympic Organizing Committee
Beijing 2022 organization's press releases.
Official Competition Schedule
Note, the linked site's listings are in China Standard Time zone
(= 16hrs ahead of PST)
Cheat Sheet for start times -
- 9am Beijing = 5pm PST / 8pm EST (previous day)
- 1pm Beijing = 9pm PST (previous day) / 12am EST
- 5pm Beijing = 1am PST / 4am EST
- 8pm Beijing = 4am PST / 7am EST
NBC Universal television coverage schedule
NBC's Peacock service will stream all Winter Olympic coverage live.
Additional coverage will be on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, the NBC Sports app, and NBCOlympics.com. Details are found on this press release. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn headlines select Olympians adding color commentary to the coverage.
On Games and Rings, I'll post top select news and previews, with a look at some fun social media from participating Olympic sport athletes. Check out my recent "A Little Roundup" posts for some athlete storylines to watch as the Games unfold.
See sidebar links for news sites and blogs under "Favorite Sites", for, well, news and blog commentary from other sites.
Let's get started! What events are you excited to see?
#BingDwenDwen and #ShueyRhonRhon say hello□ and are ready to welcome all athletes of the ✨#Beijing2022✨ #Olympic and #Paralympic ❄#WinterGames to strive for excellence□ and celebrate the beauty of #WinterSports!□
— Beijing 2022 (@Beijing2022) January 18, 2022
□：Duan Xuefeng pic.twitter.com/9bQg2Kwx65
RSS Feed