Short track has provided Winter Olympic thrills since 1988, when the sport made its debut as a demonstration sport.

In short track, athletes race against each other around an oval measuring just 111.12 meters in length, creating opportunities for field-altering collisions and nail-biting finishes.

Historically, South Korea has been a short-track juggernaut, claiming over a quarter of all short track medals at the Winter Olympics (53). This dominant trend continued at the 2022 Beijing Games, though the nation only narrowly led the medal count, taking home five medals. Canada, China, Italy and the Netherlands followed closely with four each.

A total of nine events will take place in short track at the Milan Cortina Games: four for men, four for women, plus one mixed team event. The top-two skaters in the individual and team events move on to the next round, which ends in the "A Final," where the skaters race for medals.

Short track and speed skating may seem similar at first glance, but in reality, the ways in which they differ make them two wildly different sports.

As is evidenced by the sport’s name, short track skaters race along a small oval, measuring just 111.12m around. In speed skating, the athletes compete on a track which measures 400m around.

Another difference comes via the competition format. In short track, skaters race in a group, competing with the other athletes to cross the finish line first. Speed skating, however, sees athletes racing against a clock in a time trial format. Speed skaters race in pairs, but their times are compared to the entire group of speed skating athletes who have qualified for the event, not just the opponent next to them. The exception is the speed skating mass start event, in which the entire field of skaters races at the same time and the winner is determined by the order in which the skaters cross the finish line, a format reminiscent of short track. 

As a result, the two sports warrant different types of equipment to protect against different kinds of potential injuries, contrasting athlete heights and body types, and distinct skill sets.

Short track events will take place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena alongside figure skating.

The multipurpose facility has hosted numerous international figure skating competitions and also houses a well-respected ice skating school.

The short track competition begins Tuesday, Feb. 10 and wraps up Friday, Feb. 20, concluding with the women's 1500m and men's 5000m relay finals. 

Stay tuned on the NBC Olympics schedule page for updates on how to watch.