What: Cross-country skiing, Olympics in Milan and Cortina,
Where: Tesero Cross Country Skiing Stadium, Val di Fiemme, Italy.
When: The cross-country program begins with the women's skiathlon on February 7th and ends with the women's 5000 on February 22nd.
TV/radio: SVT/SVT Play will broadcast the cross-country skiing during the Olympics. The competitions can also be followed on P4 Radiosporten.
The course: Val di Fiemme is familiar ground for most skiers. The World Cup returns here annually for the conclusion of the Tour de Ski around the turn of the year. The sprint course, which they competed on as recently as early January, is the same course used for the Olympic sprint.
How it went last time: Sweden had a tough Olympics in Beijing, where the extreme cold and unusual conditions sidelined several Swedish skiers. The big exception was Jonna Sundling, who won three medals: gold in the sprint, silver in the sprint relay with Maja Dahlqvist, and bronze in the relay. In the individual distance races, Swedish skiers, both women and men, won no medals.
Chances for more gold: At the World Championships in Trondheim, Sweden's women took home all six gold medals, and there are Swedish contenders for victory in all races even now. On the men's side, most indicators point to Norwegian dominance. Can superstar Johannes Høsflot Klæbo even repeat his feat from the World Championships - where he took six gold medals out of a possible six?
Russians in place: Cross-country skiers Saveliy Korosteljov and Darya Neprjaeva are two of a few Russian athletes who are allowed to compete as neutral athletes in the 2026 Olympics. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) is one of the federations that have given the green light, while biathlon, for example, has said no.
Missing stars: Of the possible medal candidates, Victoria Carl stands out. The German, who came second in the overall World Cup last season, is suspended after testing positive for a banned substance that she allegedly ingested via a cough medicine. She is still waiting for the results, but has not been able to compete this winter and will miss the Olympics.
Competition program:
February 7
1:00 p.m.: Skiathlon, 10+10 km, women.
2022 Olympics (7.5+7.5 km): 1) Therese Johaug, Norway, 2) Natalya Neprjaeva, ROK (Russian Olympic Committee), 3) Teresa Stadlober, Austria.
February 8
12:30 p.m.: Skiathlon, 10+10 km, men.
Olympics 2022 (15+15 km): 1) Aleksandr Bolshunov, ROK, 2) Denis Spitsov, ROK, 3) Iivo Niskanen, Finland.
February 10
9:15 a.m.: Sprint, classic style, women and men, qualifications.
11:45 a.m.: Sprint (k), women and men, final.
Olympics 2022, women (freestyle): 1) Jonna Sundling, Sweden, 2) Maja Dahlqvist, do, 3) Jessie Diggins, USA.
2022 Olympics, Men (f): 1) Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway, 2) Federico Pellegrino, Italy, 3) Aleksandr Terentjev, ROK.
February 12
1:00 p.m.: 10 km (f), women.
Olympics 2022 (k): 1) Therese Johaug, Norway, 2) Kerttu Niskanen, Finland, 3) Krista Pärmäkoski, Finland.
February 13
11:45 a.m.: 10 km (f), men.
Olympics 2022 (15 km, k): 1) Iivo Niskanen, Finland, 2) Aleksandr Bolshunov, ROK, 3) Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway.
February 14
12:00 p.m.: Relay, 4x7.5 km, women.
2022 Olympics (4x5 km): 1) ROK, 2) Germany, 3) Sweden (Dahlqvist, Andersson, Karlsson, Sundling).
February 15
12:00 p.m.: Relay, 4x7.5 km, men.
Olympics 2022 (4x10 km): 1) ROK, 2) Norway, 3) France.
February 18
9:45 a.m.: Sprint relay (f), women and men, qualifications.
11:45 a.m.: Sprint relay (f), women and men, final.
2022 Olympics (women): 1) Germany, 2) Sweden (Dahlqvist, Sundling), 3) ROK.
Olympics 2022 (men, k): 1) Norway, 2) Finland, 3) ROK.
February 21
11:00 a.m.: 50 km mass start (k), men.
Olympics 2022 (f): 1) Aleksandr Bolshunov, ROK, 2) Ivan Yakimushkin, ROK, 3) Simen Hegstad Krüger.
February 22
10:00 a.m.: 50 km mass start (k), women.
Olympics 2022 (30 km, f): 1) Therese Johaug, Norway, 2) Jessie Diggins, USA, 3) Kerttu Niskanen, Finland.
