The first day of Olympic competition has finally arrived! Here’s a comprehensive schedule of events to be aired on NBC Saturday. (Yes, they’re tape-delayed and the events will already have happened by the time you watch. Get over it.)
NBC 2:30pm, Saturday
-The first event to air in today’s coverage will be the Ski Jumping (qualification in men’s normal hill), where top-ranked Kamil Stoch of Poland will defend against Jernej Damjan of Slovenia.
Team USA’s biathlete Tim Burke came home from the 2013 world championship with a silver medal, and will compete with reigning Norwegian champions Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Emil Hegle Svendsen in the the Biathlon (men’s 10km sprint)
-Jessie Diggins of the United States will face an uphill battle against Norway’s star Marit Bjoergen in the Cross-Country (women’s skiathlon).
-Dutch racers traditionally dominate the men’s 5000m Speed Skating event, and Vancouver gold-medalist Sven Krame will be shooting for another first place on the podium.
NBC Sports 6 – 8pm, Saturday
-Women’s Hockey, U.S. vs. Finland. Last November, Finland’s star goalie Noora Raty blocked the Americans with 58 saves at the Four Nations Tournament for a 3-1 win. How well will star American forwards like Kelli Stack face off against Raty?
NBC 8 – 11:30pm
-Snowboarding superstar Shaun White has dropped out of Snowboarding (Men’s Slopestyle) due to safety concerns, leaving American frontrunner Sage Kotsenburg to take on a pack of eager Canadians in an event that involves freestyle trick performance on a downhill course.
-Hannah Kearney is Team USA’s top dog going into Freestyle Skiing (Women’s Moguls). Will she hold out against Russia’s Ekaterina Stolyarova, and Chloe, Maxine and Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada?
-The U.S. team members haven’t been disclosed in the Figure Skating (Team Event), where six team members perform short routines before the top five scoring teams compete in free skate programs.