SPORT BY SPORT AT THE NAGANO GAMES

All events in Nagano unless noted

ALPINE SKIING

Schedule

AT HAKUBA

Saturday

* Men’s downhill, 5:15 p.m.

Sunday

* Men’s combined (downhill), 5:15 p.m.

Monday

* Women’s super-G, 5:15 p.m.

Tuesday

* Men’s combined (slalom), 4:30 p.m.

Thursday

* Men’s super-G, 5:15 p.m.

Friday

* Women’s downhill, 5:15 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Women’s combined (downhill), 5:15 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

* Women’s combined (slalom), 4:30 p.m.

AT SHIGA

Tuesday, Feb. 17

* Men’s giant slalom, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

* Women’s slalom, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* Women’s giant slalom, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

* Men’s slalom, 4:30 p.m.

At a Glance

Venues: Happo’one at Hakuba (men’s and women’s downhill, super-G and combined), Mount Higashidate at Shiga Kogen (men’s and women’s giant slalom and slalom).

Events: Men’s and women’s downhill, super-G, combined, giant slalom and slalom.

Favorites: Hermann Maier, Austria (DH, SG, GS, CB); Andreas Schifferer, Austria (DH, SG, CB); Kristian Ghedina, Italy (DH); Michael Von Grunigen, Switzerland (GS); Thomas Stangassinger, Austria (SL). Women: Katja Seizinger, Germany (DH, SG, CB); Hilde Gerg, Germany (DH, SG); Martina Ertl, Germany (SG, GS, CB); Deborah Compagnoni, Italy (GS); Ylva Nowen, Sweden (SL).

BIATHLON

Schedule

AT NOZAWA

Sunday

* Women’s 15K, 8 p.m.

Tuesday

* Men’s 20K, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Women’s 7.5K, 8 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

* Men’s 10K, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

* Women’s 4x7.5K relay, 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

* Men’s 4x7.5K relay, 8 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Biathlon stadium, Nozawa Onsen.

Events: Men’s 10K, 20K, 4x7.5K relay; Women’s 7.5K, 15K, x7.5K relay.

Favorites: Men--Ricco Gross, Germany; Sven Fischer, Germany; Frank Luck, Germany; Sergei Tarasov, Russia; Frode Andresen, Norway; Raphael Poiree, France. Women: Magdalena Forsberg, Sweden; Galina Koukleva, Russia; Uschi Disl, Germany; Andreja Grasic, Slovenia; Martina Zellner, Germany, Petra Behle, Germany.

Facts: The tiny town of Nozawa Onsen is famous for its medicinal hot springs and is considered the birthplace of Japan’s skiing, introduced by an Austrian in the 1930s. Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and shooting. In the individual competitions (20K for men, 15K for women), there are four firing sessions, two prone and two standing. In the sprint (10K for men, 7.5K for women) there is one prone and one standing shooting position. . . . In the sprint, biathletes must complete a penalty loop for each missed target; in the longer events, a penalty minute is added to their times for each miss.

BOBSLED

Schedule

AT IIZUNA KOGEN

Friday, Feb. 13

* Two-man, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Two-man, 10 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* Four-man, 10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

* Four-man, 10 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Iizuna Kogen Spiral.

Events: Two-man; four-man.

Favorites: Reto Goetschi, Switzerland, two- and four-man; Christoph Langen, Germany, two- and four-man.

Facts: Bobsled and luge share the Spiral track, which features two uphill portions, a first for the Olympics. . . . The bobsled course is about a mile long, with 15 turns. . . . U.S. teams dominated early Olympic bobsledding, but the last American medal was a bronze for the four-man sled driven by Thomas Butler in 1956.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

Schedule

AT HAKUBA

Saturday

* Women’s 15K classical, 4 p.m.

Sunday

* Men’s 30K classical, 4 p.m.

Monday

* Women’s 5K classical, 4 p.m.

Wednesday

* Men’s 10K classical, 4 p.m.

* Women’s 10K free, 7 p.m.

Friday

* Men’s 15K free, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

* Women’s 4x5K relay, 5:15 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

* Men’s 4x10K relay, 5:15 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* Women’s 30K free, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21

* Men’s 50K free, 4 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Snow Harp course, Hakuba.

Events: Men’s 10K classical, 15K freestyle pursuit, 30K classical, 50K freestyle, 4x10K relay; women’s 5K classical; 10K freestyle; 15K classical; 30K freestyle pursuit; 4x5K relay.

Favorites: Men, Bjorn Daehlie, Norway (10-15K, men’s relay); Mika Myllyla, Finland (30K); Pietro Piller Cottrer, Italy 50K). Women, Yalena Vaelbe, Russia (5-15K, relay); Larissa Lazutina, Russia (10K, relay); Stefania Belmondo, Italy (30K).

Facts: Cross-country will be raced over three five-kilometer courses that can be used for any of the distances. . . . The racers use two styles--classical and freestyle or skating technique. . . . Races begin with a staggered start, at 30-second intervals, and the skier with the fastest time is the winner. Pursuit is the only event in which skiers race against one another, and first across the line is the winner.

CURLING

Schedule

AT KARUIZAWA

Sunday

* Women: Norway vs. Sweden, 4 p.m.; Canada vs. United States, 4 p.m.; Germany vs. Denmark, 4 p.m.; Japan vs. Britain, 4 p.m.

* Men: Germany vs. Switzerland, 9 p.m.; Norway vs. Britain, 9 p.m.; Canada vs. Japan, 9 p.m.; United States vs. Sweden, 9 p.m.

Monday

* Women: Denmark vs. Britain, 2 a.m.; Germany vs. Japan, 2 a.m.; Sweden vs. United States, 2 a.m.; Norway vs. Canada, 2 a.m.

* Men: Japan vs. Sweden, 4 p.m.; Canada vs. United States, 4 p.m.; Switzerland vs. Britain, 4 p.m.; Germany vs. Norway, 4 p.m.

* Women: Germany vs. United States, 9 p.m.; Norway vs. Britain, 9 p.m.; Japan vs. Canada, 9 p.m.; Sweden vs. Denmark, 9 p.m.

Tuesday

* Men: Canada vs. Britain, 2 a.m.; Germany vs. Sweden, 2 a.m.; United States vs. Norway, 2 a.m.; Switzerland vs. Japan, 2 a.m.

* Women: Canada vs. Denmark, 4 p.m.; Japan vs. Sweden, 4 p.m.; Norway vs. Germany, 4 p.m.; Britain vs. United States, 4 p.m.

* Men: Norway vs. Japan, 9 p.m.; United States vs. Switzerland, 9 p.m.; Germany vs. Canada, 9 p.m.; Sweden vs. Britain, 9 p.m.

Wednesday

* Women: Japan vs. Norway, 2 a.m.; United States vs. Denmark, 2 a.m.; Canada vs. Britain, 2 a.m.; Germany vs. Sweden, 2 a.m.

* Men: United States vs. Germany, 4 p.m.; Britain vs. Japan, 4 p.m.; Norway vs. Sweden, 4 p.m.; Canada vs. Switzerland, 4 p.m.

* Women: Sweden vs. Canada, 9 p.m.; Britain vs. Germany, 9 p.m.; United States vs. Norway, 9 p.m.; Denmark vs. Japan, 9 p.m.

Thursday

* Men: Switzerland vs. Norway, 2 a.m.; Sweden vs. Canada, 2 a.m.; Britain vs. Germany, 2 a.m.; Japan vs. United States, 2 a.m.

* Women: United States vs. Japan, 4 p.m.; Denmark vs. Norway, 4 p.m.; Britain vs. Sweden, 4 p.m.; Canada vs. Germany, 4 p.m.

* Men: Britain vs. United States, 9 p.m.; Japan vs. Germany, 9 p.m.; Sweden vs. Switzerland, 9 p.m.; Norway vs. Canada, 9 p.m.

Friday

* Men and women: tiebreaker, if necessary, 2 a.m.; tiebreaker, if necessary, 4 p.m.; women’s semifinal, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Men’s semifinal, 1 a.m.; men’s and women’s bronze-medal game, 4 p.m.; women’s gold-medal game, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

* Men’s gold-medal game, midnight.

At a Glance

Venue: Kazakoshi Park Arena.

Events: Men’s and women’s team competition.

Favorites: Canada, where curling draws huge audiences for televised matches, is the gold-medal pick in men’s and women’s events.

Facts: Curling can be traced to Scotland in the 16th century, when farmers skipped water-smoothed rocks, or “channel stones,” over frozen marshes. . . . Modern stones are a uniform 42 1/2 pounds, all cut from the same Scottish granite. . . . In a match, one member of a four-member team slides, or “curls,” the stone down ice. Two teammates sweep the ice to direct the stone’s path. The fourth member, the captain or “skip,” directs the sweepers toward the house, the 12-foot scoring area.

FIGURE SKATING

Schedule

Sunday

* Pairs short program, 3 a.m.

Tuesday

* Pairs free skate, 3 a.m.

Thursday

* Men’s short program, 2 a.m.

Friday

* Dancing, compulsory, 2 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Men’s free skate, 2 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

* Original dance, 2 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

* Free dance, 2 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

* Women’s short program, 2 a.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

* Women’s free skate, 2 a.m.; exhibition, 10 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: White Ring arena.

Events: Women’s, men’s, pairs and dance.

WOMEN

Favorite: Michelle Kwan, the 1996 world champion, who earned 15 perfect 6.0s for artistry--of 18 total--in winning the U.S. title.

MEN

Favorite: Elvis Stojko of Canada, the three-time world champion and 1994 silver medalist.

PAIRS

Favorite: Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikhardulidze, Russia, riding a hot streak after winning the Champions Series final.

DANCE

Favorites: Pasha Grishuk and Evgeny Platov of Russia, seeking their 22nd consecutive victory.

Facts: Women, men and pairs compete in the short program and free skate. The short program, worth one-third of the overall score, must include eight required moves or elements, including jumps, spins and footwork for men and women, and overhead lifts, solo jumps and spins for pairs. The free skate, worth two-thirds of the score, has no required elements. Skaters choose their music and choreograph jumps, spins and footwork to showcase technical and artistic skills. The free skate is four minutes for women, 4 1/2 for men and pairs.

Ice dancing includes compulsory, original and free dance. The compulsory, worth 20%, requires all skaters to complete the same two selected dances to a prescribed rhythm, this year either the golden waltz, the quickstep, the silver samba and the Argentine tango. In the original dance, worth 30%, skaters are given a rhythm--it’s the jive this year--and must create an original version of the dance. Couples choose their own music and choreography, but must conform to the specified rhythm and tempo. The free dance, worth 50 of the score, is similar to the free skate. Couples are allowed only five separations for a maximum of five seconds, and only small lifts or jumps.

FREESTYLE SKIING

Schedule

AT IIZUNA KOGEN

Saturday

* Moguls preliminary, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday

* Moguls final, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

* Aerials preliminary, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

* Aerials final, 5:15 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Iizuna Kogen.

Events: Aerials and moguls for men and women.

Favorites: Nicolas Fontaine, Canada (aerials); Jean-Luc Brossard, Canada (moguls). Jacqui Cooper, Australia (aerials); Ann Battelle, United States (moguls).

Facts: Nagano is the third Olympics in which freestyle medals will be awarded. . . . In aerials, athletes flip high in the air off steeply pitched ramps and are judged for height of the leap and difficulty of the tricks they perform while airborne. In moguls, racers navigate a course filled with low mounds of snow and perform tricks off two midhill jumps.

ICE HOCKEY

Schedule

Friday

Men, at Big Hat

* Italy vs. Kazakhstan, 11 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Austria vs. Slovakia, 11 p.m.

Saturday

Men, at Big Hat

* Germany vs. Japan, 3 a.m.; Austria vs. Kazakhstan, 11 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* France vs. Belarus, 3 a.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* Sweden vs. Finland, 7 p.m.; Canada vs. Japan, 11 p.m.

Sunday

Men, at Big Hat

* Slovakia vs. Italy, 1 a.m.; Germany vs. Belarus, 9 p.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* China vs. United States, 3 a.m.; Finland vs. Japan, 7 p.m.; United States vs. Sweden, 11 p.m.

Monday

Men, at Big Hat

* Japan vs. France, 1 a.m.; Belarus vs. Japan, 9 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia, 9 p.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* Canada vs. China, 3 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 10

Men, at Big Hat

* Italy vs. Austria, 1 a.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* France vs. Germany, 1 a.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* Sweden vs. Canada, 7 p.m.; Japan vs. China, 11 p.m.

Wednesday

Men, at Big Hat

* A4 vs. B4, 7 p.m.

* A3 vs. B3, 11 p.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* United States vs. Finland, 3 a.m.; China vs. Sweden, 7 p.m.; United States vs. Japan, 11 p.m.

Thursday

Men, at Big Hat

* A2 vs. B2, 3 a.m.; United States vs. Sweden, 9:45 p.m.

Women at Aqua Wing

* Finland vs. Canada, 3 a.m.; Finland vs. Czech Republic, 9:45 p.m.

Friday

Men, at Big Hat

* Canada vs. Q1, 1:45 a.m.; Q1 vs. United States, 9:45 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Q2 vs. Russia, 1:45 a.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* Japan vs. Sweden, 7 p.m.; Finland vs. China, 11 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

Men, at Big Hat

* Sweden vs. Canada, 1:45 a.m.; Russia vs. Finland, 8:45 p.m.

Women, at Aqua Wing

* Canada vs. United States, 3 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

Men, at Big Hat

* Czech Republic vs. Q2, 1:45 a.m.; Canada vs. United States, 8:45 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Finland vs. Q2, 9:45 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

Men, at Big Hat

* Czech Republic vs. Russia, 1:45 a.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Sweden vs. Q1, 1:45 a.m.

Women, at Big Hat

* Bronze-medal game, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Men, at Big Hat

* Quarterfinal, 9:45 p.m.

Men, at Aqua Wing

* Men’s Quarterfinal, 9:45 p.m.

Men, at Big Hat

* Women’s gold-medal game, 1 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

At Big Hat

* Men’s quarterfinal, 1:45 a.m.At Aqua Wing

* Men’s quarterfinal, 1:45 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19At Big Hat

* Men’s semifinal, 9:45 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

At Big Hat

* Men’s semifinal, 1:45 a.m.; men’s bronze-medal game, 10:15 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21

At Big Hat

* Men’s gold-medal game, 8:45 p.m.

At a Glance

MEN

Venues: Big Hat arena, main venue; Aqua Wing arena, secondary venue.

Favorite: Canada, stocked with prime NHL talent and full of motivation.

Facts: Nagano Games are the first Olympics featuring the world’s best pro hockey players. The United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Russia get byes into the final round of eight. Quarterfinal, semifinal and medal-round games that are tied after regulation and an overtime period will be decided by penalty shootouts.

WOMEN

Venues: Round robin, Aqua Wing arena; medal games, Big Hat arena.

Favorite: Canada, which has won every international competition except the Three Nations’ Cup this December, when it placed second to the United States.

Facts: Women’s ice hockey teams from Canada and the United States competed as early as 1916. . . . The only significant difference between women’s and men’s ice hockey now is that women may not intentionally body-check their opponents. Players may use the body to “ride” opponents off the puck; a deliberate body check draws a two-minute penalty.

LUGE

Schedule

AT IIZUNA KOGEN

Saturday

* Men’s singles, 9 p.m.

Sunday

* Men’s singles, 9 p.m.

Monday

* Women’s singles, 9 p.m.

Tuesday

* Women’s singles, 9 p.m.

Thursday

* Doubles, 9 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Iizuna Kogen Spiral.

Events: Men’s and women’s singles, men’s doubles.

Favorites: Markus Prock, Austria (men’s singles); Susi Erdmann, Germany (women’s singles); Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, United States (doubles).

Facts: Both luge and bobsled will be raced over the Spiral track, where the women’s and doubles luge start is flat and the course is about three-quarters of a mile long with 14 turns. The men’s start is steep, and the course is about seven-eighths of a mile with 15 turns. . . . The course is unique because of two uphill sections--the first one gradual, the second one steep at about 15 degrees. . . . Designers of the track wanted to keep the natural contour of the terrain, so rather than bulldoze it they kept the uphill slopes. The United States has never won an Olympic medal in luge.

NORDIC COMBINED

Schedule

AT HAKUBA

Thursday

* K90 individual, 4:30 p.m.

Friday

* 15K, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

* K90 team, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* 4x5K team, 8 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Snow Harp course, ski jumping hill, Hakuba.

Events: Men’s individual and team.

Favorites: Bjarte Engen Vik of Norway and Hannu Manninen of Finland (individual); Norway (team).

Facts: The event combines ski jumping with a cross-country race over two days of competition. After jumping from a 90-meter hill in Nagano, the competitors go to the 15-kilometer cross-country race the next day. The start is arranged according to the ski-jump finish, with the leaders starting with a time advantage. The winner is the first across the line.

SKI JUMPING

Schedule

AT HAKUBA

Tuesday

* K90 individual, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* K120 individual, 4:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

* K120 team, 4:30 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Hakuba.

Events: Men’s 90- and 120-meter individual, 120-meter team.

Favorites: Kazuyoshi Funaki, Masahiko Harada, Hiroya Saitoh, all Japan; Dieter Thoma, Sven Hannawald, both of Germany; Jani Soininen, Finland; Primoz Peterka, Slovenia; Andreas Widhoelzl, Austria.

Facts: At the only other Winter Games in Japan (Sapporo, 1972), the Japanese swept the medals on the smaller hill for their nation’s first Olympic ski jumping triumph. There have been two sweeps by Japanese jumpers during this season’s World Cup.

SNOWBOARDING

Schedule

AT SHIGA

Saturday

* Men’s giant slalom, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday

* Women’s giant slalom, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday

* Halfpipe preliminary, 4:30 p.m.; halfpipe final, 8:30 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: Yamanouchi.

Events: Men’s and women’s giant slalom (Mount Yakebitai); men’s and women’s halfpipe (Kanbayashi Snowboard Park).

Favorites: Martin Freinademetz, Austria (GS); Fabien Rohrer, Switzerland (HP). Karine Ruby, France (GS) giant slalom; Stine Brun Kjeldas, Norway (HP).

Facts: Only a decade ago, snowboarding was seen as a nuisance pastime that bothered Alpine skiers and ripped up the groomed trails of ski areas. By 1995, when snowboarding was added to the Olympic schedule, most ski areas had set aside trails reserved for snowboarders.

SPEEDSKATING

Schedule

Saturday

* Men’s 5,000 meters, 10 p.m.

Sunday

* Men’s 500 meters, first round, 11:30 p.m.

Monday

* Men’s 500 meters, second round, 11:30 p.m.

Tuesday

* Women’s 3,000 meters, 10 p.m.

Wednesday

* Men’s 1,500 meters, 10 p.m.

Thursday

* Women’s 500 meters, first round, 11:30 p.m.

Friday

* Women’s 500 meters, second round, 11:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14

* Men’s 1,000 meters, 10 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15

* Women’s 1,500 meters, 10 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16

* Men’s 10,000 meters, 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

* Women’s 1,000 meters, 10 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* Women’s 5,000 meters, 10 p.m.

At a Glance

Venue: M-Wave, an indoor rink. The name comes from the design of the roof, which looks like a giant “M” against the backdrop of the Japanese Alps.

Events: Five each for men and women, ranging in distance from 500 to 10,000 meters for men and 500 to 5,000 meters for women.

Favorites: Hiroyasu Shimizu, Japan (500 men); Jeremy Wotherspoon, Canada (1,000 men); Rintje Ritsma, Netherlands (1,500 men); Gianni Romme, Netherlands (5,000 men); Bart Veldkamp, Netherlands (10,000 men); Catriona LeMay-Doan, Canada (500 women); Chris Witty, United States (1,000 women); Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, Germany (1,500 women); Claudia Pechstein, Germany (3,000 women); Niemann-Stirnemann (5,000 women).

Facts: Clap skates have revolutionized the sport, allowing skaters to get more momentum on their push since a hinge allows the blade to separate from the boot. . . . With racers flying around the track at nearly 40 mph, speedskating is the fastest individuals can move under their own power. . . . This sport has brought more Winter Olympic medals to the United States than any other--47 (22 gold, 15 silver, 10 bronze)--compared to 37 for figure skating and 26 for Alpine skiing. . . . For the first time, the 500 will be skated over two days instead of one, with the winner determined by the fastest combined time. . . . The first medal ever awarded in the Winter Olympics went to an American speedskater, Charles Jewtraw, in 1924.

SHORT-TRACK SPEEDSKATING

Schedule

Tuesday, Feb. 17

* Men’s 1,000 meters, 2 a.m.; women’s 3,000-meter relay, 2 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

* Women’s 500 meters, 2 a.m.; men’s 500 meters preliminary, 2 a.m.; men’s 5,000-meter relay preliminary, 2 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21

* Women’s 1,000 meters, 2 a.m.; men’s 500 meters, final, 2 a.m.; men’s 5,000-meter relay, final, 2 a.m.

At a Glance

Venue: White Ring arena, also site of figure skating.

Events: 500- and 1,000-meter individual events for men and women; 3,000 relay for women and 5,000 relay for men.

Favorites: Fabio Carta, Italy (500 men); Kim Dong-Sung, South Korea (1,000 men); South Korea (men’s relay); Yang Yang A, China (500 women); Chun Lee-Kyung, South Korea (1,000 women); Canada (women’s relay).

Facts: After serving as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Olympics, short track became a full medal sport four years later. . . . Bears little resemblance to its long-track counterpart, with events taking place on modified hockey rink rather than a 400-meter oval and competitors racing in heats against each other rather than against the clock.

Closing Ceremony

Sunday, Feb. 22

* Begins 2 a.m.