Olympic Ski Jumping 2014: Schedule, TV Info, Team Medal Predictions for Day 1

One of the most historic moments of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will kick off on Day 1, as ski jumpers from around the globe take flight.

The classic spectacle is a high point of any Games on its own, but the 2014 edition is especially important now that women's ski jumping has been officially added to the mix.

While women will only compete in the normal hill competition (as men compete in that, along with the large hill and team competitions), it remains an important moment in the event's history.

Day 1 on Feb. 8 is merely a qualification round for those 51 athletes who have not already solidified their spots. Those who have already claimed spots give fans a pretty good idea of how the spectacle will end when all is said and done.

Viewing Info and Schedule

Where: RusSki Gorki Jumping Center in Sochi, Russia

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC (U.S.), BBC (U.K.)

Event	Date	Time (ET)	Time (U.K.)	Time (Sochi)
Men's Normal Hill Individual–Qualification	Feb. 8	11:30 a.m.	15:15	8:30
Men's Normal Hill Individual	Feb. 9	12:30 p.m.	16:30	9:30
Ladies' Normal Hill Individual	Feb. 11	12:30 p.m.	16:30	9:30
Men's Large Hill Individual–Qualification	Feb. 14	12:30 p.m.	16:30	9:30
Men's Large Hill Individual	Feb. 15	12:30 p.m.	16:30	9:30
Men's Team	Feb. 17	12:15 p.m.	16:15	9:15

Note: All info courtesy of NBC Olympics unless noted otherwise.

Preview and Prediction

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Other historic changes to the sport, such as important rule changes, have flown under the radar with the stellar news of women being added to the event. There are new rules in place that will now adjust a participant's score based on a perceived wind advantage or disadvantage.

Wind will certainly play an issue, as the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center was specifically crafted to mesh well with the locale and winds that blow through it from the surrounding mountain ranges.

As expected, stars highlight the show. For the women's side, the most recognizable name is Lindsey Van, who has been dominant during her career in the sport thus far and has acted as an ambassador for women's ski jumping, as the U.S. ski team's Twitter captures:

Day 1 is of particular interest with 51 athletes set to partake in the qualifying round. Names such as Nick Fairall from the United States are sure to qualify. The 24-year-old Fairall is coming in hot after winning his first national title last year.

But as far as medal predictions go, one only has to look at the names who have already prequalified:

Name	Country
Robert Kranjec	Slovenia
Thomas Diethart	Austria
Andreas Wellinger	Germany
Anders Bardal	Norway
Simon Ammann	Switzerland
Severin Freund	Germany
Gregor Schlierenzauer	Austria
Noriaki Kasai	Japan
Peter Prevc	Slovenia
Kamil Stoch	Poland

Norway (29 medals), Austria (23) and Finland (22) have traditionally dominated this sport, so some of the above names should come as no surprise.

Thomas Diethart and Gregor Schlierenzauer lead the pack for Austria with the former as the man on a hot streak. Fellow teammate Thomas Morgenstern has yet to officially qualify, thanks to injuries after helping Austria to the team gold in Vancouver. He told reporters he does not feel fully healthy, per David Ljunggren of Reuters, via Yahoo! Sports Canada:

"

Of course I do not feel 100 percent. Spending two weeks in hospital is not the way I'd have chosen to prepare myself. I am very grateful to be here ... especially after these two crashes. On the one hand I am fresh and in good condition and am good shape and on the other hand I had to make some improvements (to) my technique.

"

With the debilitated state of the Austrian team, one has to think the advantage will go to Norway and Anders Bardal, who recently took home second place in the 2013 World Cup overall standings.

Last, but far from least, is Poland's Kamil Stoch, who recently became world champion on the large hill and is appearing in his third Olympic Games. Stoch has already been dominating the competition in practice runs at Sochi, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.

Expect Austria to hang around once more, but it will be Poland with the surprise gold medal when the team actives are said and done.

Team Medal Predictions: Gold: Poland; Silver: Austria; Bronze: Norway