It’s still early, and the Opening Ceremonies have not even been had yet, but the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are underway. There are so many events packed into such a short window, that qualifying events have been happening for a couple of days now.
Olympics Daily Guide: What to watch on Thursday, Feb. 8
What to watch in the Olympics, updated medal count, and more for Thursday.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
On Thursday, some key sports will be on display, though most of them aren’t of the extremely fast-paced variety.
What events are on TV tonight?
NBC will carry figure skating and freestyle skiing in primetime on Thursday evening. Beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET, the block of coverage is expected to last through around 11:30 p.m.
It will be figure skating team competition in the evening, with the men’s and pairs’ short programs. The United States figure to be top contenders in these categories, which is why it’s getting early prime-time billing by NBC.
At that same time, a mixed doubles curling match will begin on NBCSN between the United States and Switzerland. At 9 p.m., NBCSN coverage will feature men’s downhill skiing and men’s singles luge training runs. That block is expected to run through around 11:35 p.m.
Early in the morning on Thursday, NBCSN broadcast mixed doubles curling matchups, as well as some ski jumping. There will be live streaming of all events throughout the entire Olympic Games via NBC or FuboTV
What’s the big story of the evening?
The men’s figure skating — especially the pairs — are a big deal. The United States has some decisions to make about its roster and who it will put on the ice, but the Americans are expected to be contending for a medal. Nathan Chen is the big name; he’s a rookie for the Olympics and could debut in the team event.
The team event was a new addition to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and it was a big success, so it’s back this year.
What else is happening?
Again, there will be practice runs of men’s alpine skiing and luge, as well as prime-time coverage of freestyle skiing, always some of the more exciting things to watch.
What is tonight’s AMERICA RATING?
The United States took home bronze in the first team event in Sochi. The U.S. is only allowed one figure skating pair to represent them in Pyeongchang based on qualifying results. The men representing the U.S. are Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon and Vincent Zhou. The women are Karen Chen, Mirai Nagasu and Bradie Tennell. None of them was on the bronze-medal winning U.S. team in 2014.
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