Winter Olympics 2018: a day-by-day guide for UK viewers

The Winter Olympics begin this week, showcasing the world's very best athletes on snow and ice.

Taking place in PyeongChang in South Korea, Team GB have set a modest medal target of five. But there's every chance they could bring home more.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here's everything you need to know, and what to watch day-by-day.

When are the Winter Olympics?

This year's Winter Games take place across two weeks, from 9 - 25 February.

The games will kick off with the opening ceremony, which will air on Friday (9 Feb) at around 11am UK time.

Which UK channels are showing the Winter Olympics?

The BBC will have extensive coverage of all the major events every day (consisting of live coverage, catch-up programmes and highlights) and you'll be able to catch up on most disciplines through the red button.

Eurosport will also be broadcasting coverage of the games, if you're a Sky, BT or Virgin customer.

How will the time difference affect UK viewers?

South Korea's KST (Korea Standard Time) is nine hours ahead of the UK.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Each day's action will kick off around midnight UK time, which will mean very late nights or very early starts if you want to follow some events live.

However, the day's events will wind up around midday here, so there will be a few hours of live morning viewing.

A day-by-day guide

Day 1 - Saturday 10 February

The first day will see snowboarders take on the Slopestyle course (1am, BBC1), stringing together tricks across rails and over jumps. Billy Morgan is the Brit to watch; the 28-year old was the first to pull of a '1800 Quadruple Cork'.

Britain's Elise Christie competes in the Short Track Speed Skating (10am, BBC1), while the Men's Luge (11am, BBC red button) and Men's Normal Hill Final in the Ski Jumping (2.15pm, BBC1) provide thrills.

Medal events: Biathlon: Women's 7.5km Sprint / Cross Country Skiing: Women's 15km Skiathlon / Short Track Speed Skating: Men's 1500m / Ski Jumping: Men's Individual Normal Hill / Speed Skating: Women's 3000m

Day 2 - Sunday 11 February

All eyes will be on Britain's Andrew Musgrave in the men's skiathlon (6.15am, BBC1). He is the Aberdeenshire native who scored the best ever result for a GB cross country skier in the 2017 World Cup.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ice skating is also big on the agenda, with Men's 5000m in the Speed Skating (7am, BBC1) and the Figure Skating Team Event (3am, BBC red button and 4.15am, BBC1).

Medal events: Speed Skating: Men's 5000m / Alpine Skiing: Men's Downhill / Cross Country Skiing: Men's 30km Skiathlon / Biathlon: Men's 10km Sprint / Snowboarding: Men's Slopestyle / Freestyle Skiing: Women's Moguls / Luge: Men's Singles

Day 3 - Monday 12 February

Day three sees the women take to the Slopestyle course (1am, BBC1), with 20-year old Katie Ormerod Britain's best hope for a snowboarding medal.

There's also Alpine Skiing with gold medal events in the Women's Giant Slalom (2.40am, 4.45am, BBC1 and 7.40am BBC red button) and the Mixed Doubles competition gets underway in the Curling.

Medal events: Figure Skating: Team Event / Speed Skating: Women’s 1500m / Alpine Skiing: Women’s Giant Slalom / Ski Jumping: Women’s Individual Normal Hill / Biathlon: Women’s 10km Pursuit and Men’s 12.5km Pursuit / Snowboarding: Women’s Slopestyle / Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Moguls

Day 4 - Tuesday 13 February

Britain’s Elise Christie was disqualified three times in 2014's Sochi Winter Olympics; she'll be hoping for redemption this time round in the Women's Short Track Speed Skating (10am, 11.30am, BBC1).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Medal events: Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 500m / Speed Skating: Men’s 1500m / Curling: Mixed Doubles / Alpine Skiing: Men’s Combined / Cross Country Skiing: Men’s and Women’s Sprint Classic / Snowboarding: Women’s Halfpipe / Luge: Women’s Singles

Day 5 - Wednesday 14 February

The Men's (midnight, 11am, BBC) and Women's Curling (5.30am, BBC1) both start today, with Britain in with a good chance of reaching the podium in both.

Elsewhere, the Men's Halfpipe Final in the Snowboarding (1.30am, BBC1) will provide dazzling tricks.Medal events: Speed Skating: Women’s 1000m / Alpine Skiing: Women’s Slalom / Nordic Combined: Men’s Individual 10km / Biathlon: Women’s 15km Individual / Snowboarding: Men’s Halfpipe / Luge: Men’s Doubles

Day 6 - Thursday 15 February

Day six will likely be a quiet one for the Brits, but there should still be plenty of action in the Men's Snowboard Cross (2am, BBC red button and 4.30am, BBC1) and the Men's Super-G Alpine Skiing (2am, BBC1).

Medal events: Figure Skating: Pairs / Speed Skating: Men’s 10,000m / Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super G / Cross Country Skiing: Women’s 10km Free / Biathlon: Men’s 20km Individual / Snowboarding: Men’s Snowboard Cross / Luge: Team Relay

Day 7 - Friday 16 February

The Women's Skeleton begins today (11am, 12.30pm, BBC1), with British hopes riding on Lizzy Yarnold (who won gold at the last winter games) and Laura Deas - currently ranked in the world top ten.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Britain take on Sweden in the Men's Curling (11.45am, BBC1), as Dominic Parsons and Jerry Rice aim for gold in the Men's Skeleton (12.30am, 2am, BBC1).

Medal events: Speed Skating: Women’s 5000m / Cross Country Skiing: Men’s 15km Free / Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Aerials / Snowboarding: Women’s Snowboard Cross / Skeleton: Men’s

Day 8 - Saturday 17 February

It's being dubbed 'Super Saturday', and the second weekend of the games could provide a bountiful haul of golds for the female contingent of Team GB.

Lizzy Yarnold hopes to make good on her previous day's progress in the Women's Skeleton (11.20am, BBC1), Isabel Atkin is the one to watch in the Women's Slopestyle Skiing (1am, BBC red button and 3.45am, BBC1), and Elise Christie hopes to scoop the top prize in the Short Track Speed Skating (10am, BBC1).

Medal events: Figure Skating: Men’s Free Programme / Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 1500m Final and Men’s 1000m Final / Alpine Skiing: Women’s Super G / Ski Jumping: Men’s Individual Large Hill / Cross Country Skiing: Women’s 4x5km Relay / Biathlon: Women’s 12.5km Mass Start / Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Slopestyle / Skeleton: Women’s

Day 9 - Sunday 18 February

James "Woodsy" Woods could be the name on everyone's lips; the freestyle skier finished fifth in Sochi with an injured hip, so if he can stay injury free he could place even higher in the Men's Slopestyle (1am, 4am, BBC1).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Medal events: Speed Skating: Women’s 500m / Alpine Skiing: Men’s Giant Slalom / Cross Country Skiing: Men’s 4x10km Relay / Biathlon: Men’s 15km Mass Start / Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Slopestyle and Men’s Aerials

Day 10 - Monday 19 February

Day 10 might not see many Brits on podiums, but there's a brand new event to take in: the Big Air.

A snowboarding discipline, it see athletes competing to display their skills on one a huge ramp. Think of it as snowboarding's answer to Ski Jumping, with amazing tricks.

Medal events: Speed Skating: Men’s 500m / Ski Jumping: Men’s Team Large Hill / Bobsleigh: Two Man

Day 11 - Tuesday 20 February

British figure skating couple Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland have been coached by Torvill and Dean, and will even be performing to the same music they used at 1994's Winter Olympics. They'll be hoping to recreate the legendary pair's success in the Ice Dance Free Dance (1am, BBC red button and 3.15am, BBC1).

Medal events: Figure Skating: Ice Dance / Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 3000m Relay / Nordic Combined: Men’s Individual 10km / Biathlon: Mixed Relay / Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Halfpipe

Day 12 - Wednesday 21 February

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Another day of fast paced action from PyeongChang. There might not be many medal opportunities for Brits, but US star Lindsey Vonn will be in action in the Women's Downhill Skiing (2am, BBC1).

The Women's Bobsleigh Final (11.30am, BBC1) could provide a chance at Team GB glory, as long as there's no repeat of Vancouver 2010, when the team crashed out of the race.

Medal events: Speed Skating: Men’s and Women’s Team Pursuit / Alpine Skiing: Women’s Downhill / Cross Country Skiing: Men’s and Women’s Team Sprint Free / Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Ski Cross / Bobsleigh: Women

Day 13 - Thursday 22 February

Elise Christie, hopefully with some already weighty hand-luggage to take home after success on day eight, gets her third chance at taking home a medal in the Women’s 1,000m Speed Skating (10am, BBC1).

Dave Ryding could also put in a good effort towards gold in the Men's Slalom Skiing (1am, 4.45am, BBC1 and 2am, BBC red button).

Medal events: Ice Hockey: Women’s / Short Track Speed Skating: Men’s 500m, Women’s 1000m, Men’s 5000m Relay / Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom / Nordic Combined: Men’s Team / Biathlon: Women’s 4x6km Relay / Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Ski CrossDay 14 - Friday 23 February

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Katie Ormerod could be back in snowboarding medal contention in the Women's Big Air Final (12.30am, BBC1), while Team GB will be looking for easy passage through the Women's Curling Semi-Finals (11am, BBC1).

Medal events: Figure Skating: Women’s Free Programme / Speed Skating: Men’s 1000m / Alpine Skiing: Women’s Combined / Snowboarding: Women’s Big Air / Biathlon: Men’s 4×7.5km Relay / Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Ski Cross

Day 15 - Saturday 24 February

It's the Men's Big Air Final (1am, BBC1) in the snowboarding today. Will the new event have proven as thrilling as many expected it to?

Another new event - Speed Skating: Mass Start (11am, BBC red button) - sees 24 racers fighting for position over 16 laps of the 400m track. This could be interesting.

Medal events: Alpine Skiing: Team Event / Cross Country Skiing: Men’s 50km Mass Start Classic / Curling: Men / Snowboarding: Men’s Big Air, Women’s and Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom / Speed Skating: Women’s and Men’s Mass Start

Day 16 - Sunday 25 February

The final day of the games could be one of the most dramatic. Team GB could be competing in the Women's Curling Final (midnight, BBC1), and the Four-Man Bobsleigh (12.30am, BBC red button) will be an exciting spectacle, whether the under-prepared Brits bring home the goods or not.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Closing Ceremony (11am, BBC2) rounds things off, and could be taking place in sub-zero temperatures at the open-air Olympic Stadium.

Medal events: Bobsleigh: four-man / Cross Country Skiing: Women’s 30km Mass Start Classic / Curling: Women / Ice Hockey: Men

A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title iNews

Related topics: