Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018: Previewing What to Watch for on Day 0
We have liftoff.
Winter Olympics competition started Feb. 8 in Pyeongchang, South Korea (Feb. 7 in the United States), with the first two sessions of mixed doubles curling and a ski jumping qualification. Today in the U.S., we'll be able to see mixed doubles curling, freestyle moguls qualifications, the first session of figure skating and the Opening Ceremony.
The 2018 Games have begun. And there are already a few storylines to watch.
Will Nathan Chen Live Up to the Hype?
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In the time it takes to read this sentence, Team USA figure skater Nathan Chen can rotate many, many times.
The quadruple jump—four rotations in the air—used to be a rarity in figure skating. But with a scoring system that rewards difficult elements, quad jumps are all the rage. And no one does more of them than Nathan Chen.
He won't unleash his full fury in the men's team event short program, the first skating event of these Games. But this will be his first test in the Olympic spotlight, and he'll be a key part of the USA's quest to repeat (or improve upon) its bronze-medal performance from 2014.
The team event spans three days, all conveniently scheduled for prime-time broadcast in the U.S. Men and pairs have their short programs today. On Day 3, we'll get ice dance and women's short programs, along with the pairs free skate. The event wraps on Day 4 with the men's and women's free skates and the free dance.
How Will Russian Athletes Fare or Celebrate Without Their Flag?
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They're from Russia, but they aren't representing Russia.
They're OAR, which is not a veteran of the jam-band scene but "Olympic Athletes from Russia."
Their country—along with a considerable number of athletes—was banned from the 2018 Olympics over doping issues from the last Winter Games, which Russia hosted. They'll still have teams in the big team sports, hockey and curling.
But if they happen to grab a Russian flag or in some other way demonstrate their national allegiance to their country, they could be in trouble. A task force will be watching them.
So, will they abide by an unusual set of anti-patriotic rules in a venue that generally brings patriotism to the forefront? Or will we see some sneaky—or brazen—attempts to show off their national pride?
Can Jaelin Kauf Challenge Canada's Mogul-Skiing Sisters?
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Gold medalist in the 2014 women's moguls: Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canada.
Silver medalist: Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Canada.
At age 26, Chloe is the older of the sisters and has one more Olympics under her skis, finishing fifth in her native land in 2010. She won the World Cup moguls title in 2015-16. The same year, Justine finished second in the World Cup moguls standings for the fifth straight year.
This year, there's a new name atop the standings: a 21-year-old American named Jaelin Kauf. Like the Dufour-Lapointes, Kauf's family is all about the bumps and jumps. Both of her parents competed in moguls, and her mother is a three-time X Games medalist in ski cross.
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Can Anyone Explain Mixed Doubles Curling?
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After two decades of curling in the Olympics, we all should have a decent handle on the sport. One person delivers a rock, a teammate stands at the other end of the ice to direct the shot, and two people sweep. That formation lasts for two rocks, and then they rotate until everyone has delivered twice, for a total of eight stones.
This year, Olympic curling gets another event on top of the traditional men's and women's four-player team games. Mixed doubles has two players per team, one man and one woman. One person delivers the rock and sometimes hops up to help his or her partner sweep.
A few rocks will also be put in place before the teams start sliding others down the ice. Those rocks are placed down the middle...unless a team calls a "power play," which is not just a hockey term any more.
You can read a CBC explainer of the event, but you're going to have to watch to make sense of it all. And you should know the U.S. representatives are a pair of siblings with a great sense of humor, Matt and Becca Hamilton.
How Will South Korea Welcome the World?
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Here's what we know about the Opening Ceremony:
1. The torch relay will end in Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, and a cauldron will be lit.
2. North Korean athletes will march with South Korean athletes, according to Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times.
3. It'll be cold.
4. NBC's site will have a live stream with "natural sound only" at 6 a.m. ET Friday. At 8 p.m. ET, NBC will show the full production in prime time.
As is typical with the Opening Ceremony, everything else remains a secret. If you have photos that might indicate what's going to happen, don't publish them, lest you wind up getting your credentials revoked.
Once the ceremony happens, photos will quickly go global. So if you want to be surprised Friday night, avoid the internet that day.
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