NBC Olympics Schedule 2022: TV Guide, Live Stream and Saturday Predictions
The opening ceremony has taken place, medals are starting to be awarded and the action is really picking up at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Between now and Feb. 20, there will be plenty of exciting competitions in Beijing, and NBC will provide plenty of ways to watch it.
After Friday's coverage featured the opening ceremony, Saturday will be the first day jampacked with events throughout the day during these Winter Games. There will be some action this morning, but the most exciting events should be among those taking place Saturday night (Sunday morning in Beijing).
Here's a look at Saturday's complete Olympic coverage schedule, followed by predictions for several of the most highly anticipated events.
Saturday TV, Live Stream Schedule
7 a.m. ET
Curling mixed doubles: Czech Republic vs. Switzerland, NBCOlympics.com
Curling mixed doubles: Great Britain vs. Italy, NBCOlympics.com
Curling mixed doubles: Norway vs. China, NBCOlympics.com
Curling mixed doubles: United States vs. Canada, NBCOlympics.com
8 a.m. ET
Women's ice hockey prelim: United States vs. Russian Olympic Committee, USA Network and NBCOlympics.com
8 p.m. ET
Curling mixed doubles: United States vs. Czech Republic, CNBC
Curling mixed doubles: Great Britain vs. China, NBCOlympics.com
8:30 p.m. ET
Figure skating: Women's short program, NBC and NBCOlympics.com
Snowboarding: Women's slopestyle final, USA Network
10 p.m. ET
Alpine skiing: Men's downhill, NBC and NBCOlympics.com
11 p.m. ET
Figure skating: Men's free skate, NBC and NBCOlympics.com
Snowboarding: Men's slopestyle qualifying, USA Network and NBCOlympics.com
Complete coverage schedule for 2022 Winter Olympics available at NBCOlympics.com.
Snowboarding: Women's Slopestyle Final
New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott came into the Winter Olympics as the favorite to win the gold medal in women's slopestyle. Since arriving in Beijing, the 20-year-old has gotten off to a strong start. During Saturday's qualifying session, she led the field with a score of 86.75. That came on her second run, which featured two backside 900s.
"I guess for qualifications you kind of have to balance with going for hard tricks and then getting through to finals," Sadowski-Synnott said, per Liam Nee of NBCOlympics.com. "I've got a bit more in the tank for [the final], but I'm just taking it step by step and hope for the best performance."
The other 11 snowboarders who qualified for the women's slopestyle final will be trying to best Sadowski-Synnott, but that could be a challenge. Her likely top competitors will be Japan's Kokomo Murase (second in qualifying) and the United States' Jamie Anderson (fifth), who won the gold in this event in both 2014 and 2018.
However, this is Sadowski-Synnott's year to shine. After she won the gold in women's slopestyle at the past two World Championships, she'll add an Olympic gold to her growing list of accolades, as she'll again have the clear best run in the final.
Prediction: New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott wins gold
Alpine Skiing: Men's Downhill
There are a lot of unknowns heading into the men's downhill competition for alpine skiing. The event is taking place on a new course at the National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing, and the final training session was cut short after only three skiers had taken runs.
So while Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde enters the men's downhill event as the favorite to win the gold medal, it's quite possible that one of the other competitors could win it. In addition to Kilde, Switzerland's Beat Feuz and Austria's Matthias Mayer are also top contenders.
Another skier to watch will be Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, a 24-year-old who will be making his Olympic debut. It's possible that Odermatt will come away with a medal, but it's more likely to be a silver or bronze.
As for the gold, the prediction here is that Mayer will capture it. Although Kilde is the current World Cup leader, he hasn't finished better than 15th in men's downhill in his two previous Olympic appearances. Meanwhile, Mayer has won two Olympic golds (including in men's downhill in 2014), and he'll pick up another one in Beijing.
Prediction: Austria's Matthias Mayer wins gold
Figure Skating: Women's Short Program
For the first time in this year's Winter Games, the individual women's figure skaters will be taking the ice on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Beijing). It isn't quite time for individual competition yet, though, as the women's skaters will be competing in the short program for the team event.
The United States currently has a 28-26 lead over the Russian Olympic Committee in the team competition. However, that could potentially change after the women's short program, as there are several Russian figure skaters who are likely to fare well in the women's events in Beijing.
Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old from Russia, is likely going to have success in her Olympic debut, while 17-year-old Anna Shcherbakova should also be a top contender for the Russian Olympic Committee. But the U.S. sent a solid trio of Mariah Bell, Karen Chen and Alysa Liu, and any of them could be among the best competitors this year.
The women's short program for the team competition should be exciting to watch, especially because it may give us an idea of how the women's figure skating events could go at this year's Winter Olympics. However, it's likely to go well for the Russian Olympic Committee, as many of the women's competitions should.
Prediction: Russian Olympic Committee's Kamila Valieva places first