The 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will run from March 4-13, and each day, NBCOlympics.com will provide a rundown of what to watch in every sport. All events listed below will stream live on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock, and all times indicated are in Eastern Time on Sunday night or Monday morning. USA Network and Olympic Channel will also provide television coverage throughout the Paralympics. Visit the schedule page for listings sorted by sport and TV network.
Para Snowboarding
Event | Time (ET) | How to Watch |
---|---|---|
M/W Snowboard Cross Finals | 10:30 p.m. | NBCOlympics.com, USA |
At the 2018 Paralympic Games, the United States had an athlete on the podium in nine of the 10 snowboarding events. The U.S. will hope for a continuation of that success when the first medal events of this year's snowboarding program take place on Day 3.
One of the country's top medal contenders, though, nearly didn't even make it to the Games. The status of Brenna Huckaby, a double gold medalist in the women's LL1 classification at the last Paralympics, has been in limbo ever since her classification was removed the Paralympic program due to a lack of athletes. After her request to "compete up" against less-impaired athletes in the women's LL2 event was denied, Huckaby filed an injunction in hopes that the courts would rule in her favor. It wasn't until mid-January that her appeal was successful and she learned that she would be allowed to compete.
"This is a big win for disability inclusion, but there is always more work to be done," Huckaby said after the ruling.
Although Huckaby is technically competing at a disadvantage in Beijing — she, like many athletes in the LL1 classification, has an above-the-knee amputation, while LL2 athletes have a lower level of impairment such as a below-the-knee amputation — that wasn't reflected in Sunday's qualifying results. Huckaby was the second-fastest rider of the session, while Frenchwoman Cecile Hernandez, a fellow LL1 competitor, was the top qualifier.
Up next for Huckaby, Hernandez and the rest of the women is the elimination rounds. Riders will race head-to-head in the elimination rounds with four riders on the course at a time.
On the men's side, events will be held for three different classifications. Aside from the LL1 and LL2 classifications, there is also a separate classification for athletes with upper-limb impairments.
While the U.S. men will have medal contenders in all three events, plenty of focus will be on the LL1 race. Mike Schultz is the defending gold medalist in that event, and teammate Noah Elliott took bronze in 2018. Both athletes qualified inside the top five and will look to return to the podium.
Schultz, who founded a prosthetics company called BioDapt, is responsible for the prosthetics that many of his competitors will be using during the race. After losing his leg in 2008 as a result of a snowmobile crash, Schultz was determined to get back to doing the sports he loved, so he used his knowledge of fabrication to create his own prosthetic leg that offered more versatility than the standard options. It eventually turned into a business, and he now builds legs for other amputees. Elliott is among the many snowboarders who use Schultz's prosthetics.
Other notable Americans in action will include Brittani Coury (women's LL2), Mike Minor (men's UL), Garrett Geros (men's LL2) and Keith Gabel (men's LL2).
Para Cross-Country Skiing
Event | Time (ET) | How to Watch |
---|---|---|
Men's 20km Standing, Vision Impaired | 9:00 p.m. | NBCOlympics.com, USA |
Women's 15km Standing, Vision Impaired | 11:10 p.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
Cross-country skiing's second day of compeition will feature long-distance events (20km for men, 15km for women) in the standing and visually impaired classes.
American Jake Adicoff will be one of the athletes to watch in the men's visually impaired race. He earned a bronze medal in this event at the recently-held world championships, finishing behind two Russian athletes who won't be competing in Beijing because of the IPC's recent ban. Adicoff, who is legally blind after incurring chicken pox in utero, will be paired with guide Sam Wood. That pairing produced Adicoff's first world title, which came in the middle-distance (12.5km) event, in January.
That race will also feature the most-decorated man in the history of Paralympic cross-country skiing, Canada's Brian McKeever. The 42-year-old, who is competing at his sixth and final Paralympics, has won 17 medals, including 13 golds, during his storied career. After developing an untreatable genetic degenerative eye condition at age 19, McKeever became legally blind and has been guided in competition by his brother Robin. The brothers' emotional story was the subject of a Toyota commercial during this year's Super Bowl.
Making her Paralympic debut in the women's standing race is Adicoff's compatriot Sydney Peterson, 20, who also won world bronze at the distance in January in addition to two silvers in middle and sprint. The Minnesotan developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy and dystonia in her left arm at age 13.
Para Alpine Skiing
Event | Time (ET) | How to Watch |
---|---|---|
M/W Super Combined: Super-G Run | 8:30 p.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
M/W Super Combined: Slalom Run | 12:45 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
The super combined event, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was moved up a day due to concerns over high temperatures and the risk of snow melting. The competition is divided into two sections — a super-G run and a slalom run — and will feature men's and women's competitions for the sitting, standing and visually impaired classes.
Japan's Momoka Muraoka, who competes in women's sitting events, was the only athlete to sweep the downhill and super-G titles in any of the six classifications. Germany's Anna-Lena Forster finished second in both events and is the reigning world and Paralympic champion in the super combined.
The men's standing competition will feature five Americans, including Thomas Walsh and Opening Ceremony flagbearer Tyler Carter. This could be one of Walsh's best chances for a medal in Beijing — he finished fourth in the super combined at the recently-held world championships.
Wheelchair Curling
Event | Time (ET) | How to Watch |
---|---|---|
USA vs Canada | 8:30 p.m. | NBCOlympics.com, Olympic Channel |
USA vs Norway | 6:30 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com, Olympic Channel |
After beating Estonia for its first win of round-robin play, the United States needs to keep the momentum going and improve on its 1-2 record. Up next, though, are two of the strongest teams in the tournament.
The U.S. will play Canada (8:30 p.m. ET) and then Norway (6:30 a.m. ET) on Day 3 of the Games. Canada, ranked No. 4 in the world, has won a medal at all four Paralympics that have featured wheelchair curling and is one of just two unbeaten teams remaining in the tournament. while Norway, ranked No. 4 in the world, earned silver in 2018.
At the end of the day, the U.S. will have played half of its 10 round-robin games. There are 11 teams in the tournament, and only the top four at the end of round-robin play will advance to the knockout rounds.