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Issue Date: July 27, 2008
Olympic must-see TV
USA WEEKEND joins with Olympic analysts to spotlight 17 days of exciting, can't-miss events. Pull out and save this at-a-glance guide.
It'll be Olympic-sized viewing, for sure. The opening ceremonies will see the "Bird's Nest" packed with 91,000 spectators. Then, the stars will come out to play, including U.S. standouts such as Michael Phelps, Misty May-Treanor, Natalie Coughlin and Jennie Finch, as well as newcomers Shawn Johnson and Tyson Gay. They're looking to continue a tradition of dominance that has resulted in the United States leading all other countries with 2,197 medals (according to NBC's count), nearly twice as many as the second-place former Soviet Union.
This time around, the big competition is likely to come from the "home team," China, which has been mobilizing its athletes and transforming its capital with splashy new venues to host the world's greatest athletes. And the country has been preparing its athletes to go for the gold in several sports that it hasn't medaled in before.
To capture all the excitement, NBC will air an astonishing 3,600 hours of competition over the Games' 17 days, including airings on CNBC, MSNBC, USA and Oxygen. Executive producer David Neal says he's looking forward to watching Phelps become the greatest Olympian of all time, as well as seeing the host nation hold its collective breath as national hero Liu Xiang defends his gold in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Below are broadcast highlights of some of the events with comments from Olympic veterans, including swimmer Matt Biondi, beach volleyballer Karch Kiraly and runner Maurice Greene. Note: This schedule is subject to change. Go to NBCOlympics.com for the latest information. Let the Games begin!
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Opening Ceremonies Aug. 8
The moment China has prepared for since 2001, when it was awarded the Games, arrives with the opening ceremonies. At the majestic Bird's Nest (National Stadium), 205 countries are expected to march in the Parade of Nations in an order determined by Chinese characters, with two exceptions per Olympic tradition -- Greece will lead, and host nation China will enter last. Tune in: NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 1 Aug. 9
Day 1: Michael Phelps takes aim at Mark Spitz's record.
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Fittingly, the spectacular National Aquatics Center -- the "Water Cube" -- hosts 23-year-old Michael Phelps' chase for history in the 400-meter individual medley, in which he holds the world record. By week's end, he could break records for most career golds by an athlete and most golds in one Olympics (seven), famously held by Mark Spitz. "Swimmers today aren't specializing in one event," says eight-time gold medalist Matt Biondi. "They've mastered their stroke technique, and they're able to swim shorter and longer distances, allowing them to qualify for multiple events.'' Tune in: Men's and women's 400m IM and men's gymnastics on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET; U.S. women's soccer on USA, 2 a.m.-2 p.m. ET.
Day 2 Aug. 10
The Games' first diving final is in the women's synchronized springboard. The gold medal is China's Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia's to lose. Divers will be pushed more than ever to impress judges with their athleticism. "There are no basic dives anymore," says Ron O'Brien, USA Diving's high-performance director and legendary diver Greg Louganis' former coach. "The ability to spin and twist is much more important today." Tune in: Men's 4x100m freestyle relay, women's 100m butterfly, men's 100m breaststroke, women's synchronized springboard and women's gymnastics on NBC, 7 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 3 Aug. 11
The U.S. men's gymnastics squad, led by 2004 all-around champion Paul Hamm, aims for a second straight Olympic medal. Tune in: Men's 200m freestyle, men's team gymnastics, men's and women's 100m backstroke, and men's synchronized diving on NBC, 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET.
Day 4 Aug. 12
Day 4 The U.S. beach volleyball team will defend its gold.
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"Golden Girls" Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who won gold in Athens and are three-time reigning world champions, continue their gold- medal defense today in beach volleyball. "Misty has no weaknesses, no part of her game can be exploited, and she is so mentally tough and resilient," says former beach volleyball gold medalist Karch Kiraly. Tune in: Women's team gymnastics, beach volleyball and rowing on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET; boxing on CNBC, 5-8 p.m. ET.
Day 5 Aug. 13
The U.S. women's water polo team, which reached the medal podiums in Sydney and Athens, is in a key matchup against defending Olympic champion Italy. With only three returning Olympians, the women's team isn't the most experienced. But it may be the most impressive collection of talent the United States has ever gathered, says three-time Olympian Wolf Wigo, NBC water polo analyst. Expect a swifter game, too, as the shot clock drops from 35 seconds to just 30. Tune in: Women's water polo on NBC, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET; men's gymnastics all-around, women's cycling and men's 200m breaststroke on NBC, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. ET.
Day 6 Aug. 14
Two U.S. women, Shawn Johnson (see page 6) and nine-time world medalist Nastia Liukin, try to join Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson as Olympic all-around champions. Tune in: Women's gymnastics, men's 200m IM and men's volleyball on NBC, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. ET; U.S. women's softball vs. Canada on CNBC, midnight-4:30 a.m. ET.
Day 7 Aug. 15
Day 7: Will Tyson Gay be the world's fastest man?
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The competition to determine the world's fastest man gets underway, as triple world champion Tyson Gay of the United States faces stiff competition in the 100-meter dash from Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt and Asafa Powell. A creature of habit, Gay "sips from his bottle of water, and then he says his prayer and reaches his hands up in the air," says Maurice Greene, a sprinter who won two gold medals in the 2000 Olympics. "That helps him succeed. As an athlete, you have to find a comfort zone that's your own place to be, to filter out all the distractions." Tune in: Men's 100m butterfly, U.S. men's volleyball vs. China, and men's 100m and shot put on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET; women's soccer on USA, 2 a.m.-noon ET.
Day 8 Aug. 16
Four years ago, Deena Kastor won bronze in the women's marathon, ending a 20-year drought for the U.S. runners in the event. U.S. scientists have been studying the climate and pollution patterns in Beijing, evaluating the best way for runners to prepare. Hence, "I expect Kastor to modify her running plan," says Amby Burfoot, editor-at-large for Runner's World magazine. "She'll likely not look to run out in the lead pack at first. She'll stay back until the last 5 miles." Tune in: Women's heptathlon, women's marathon, and men's and women's 4x100m medley relays on NBC, 7:30 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 9 Aug. 17
Day 9 Cheryl Haworth hopes to add another medal.
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During a normal 2 1/2-hour workout, U.S. weight lifter Cheryl Haworth lifts up to 25 tons -- that's more than an F-15 fighter jet weighs. Tonight, she aims to add another medal to her 2000 bronze in the super heavyweight class. Tune in: Women's springboard, and men's and women's gymnastics on NBC, 7 p.m.-midnight ET; women's weight lifting on CNBC, midnight-2 a.m. ET.
Day 10 Aug. 18
Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva has an embarrassment of pole-vaulting riches, including the 2004 Olympic crown and upwards of 20 world records. She has become so dominant that her greatest competitor often is herself. Tune in: Women's pole vault, and men's and women's gymnastics on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 11 Aug. 19
In equestrian's individual dressage final, watch for Japan's Hiroshi Hoketsu; the 67-year-old will be making his second Olympic appearance, 45 years after first competing as a show jumper at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Lisa Wilcox, U.S. bronze medalist in team dressage at the 2004 Games, says Hoketsu must train hard to deal with the age factor. "I'm sure he'll be physically training beyond training his horse. He may be jogging to maintain his own endurance." Tune in: Women's 400m, men's 1,500m, men's springboard and men's beach volleyball on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET; dressage on Oxygen, 6-8 p.m. ET.
Day 12 Aug. 20
Day 12: BMX Biking is a new event at the summer Olympics.
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BMX racing is one of the new events at the Olympics -- an all-out, full-contact, eight-man race through a course with plenty of jumps. The U.S. men include 2007 world champion Kyle Bennett, world medalist Mike Day and 2007 U.S. champion Donny Robinson. Tune in: BMX racing, men's 200m, women's 400m hurdles, women's beach volleyball and women's platform diving on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 13 Aug. 21
Gold medals are on the line as the big men take the mat in freestyle wrestling's 185-, 211.5- and 264.5-pound finals. Daniel Cormier, in the 211.5 class, is one of Team USA's top hopes, and Steve Mocco, who is from a family of athletes, makes his Olympic debut in the 264.5 class. Tune in: Wrestling on CNBC, 5-8 p.m. ET; men's 400m and women's 200m on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 14 Aug. 22
The world's top two decathletes, the Czech Republic's Roman Sebrle and the United States' Bryan Clay, who finished first and second, respectively, in Athens, will go head-to-head again as the decathlon concludes with five events today. Tune in: Men's and women's 4x100m relay, decathlon and rhythmic gymnastics on NBC, 8 p.m.-midnight ET.
Day 15 Aug. 23
The U.S. Olympic boxing team has a long tradition of producing professional standouts. At the 2007 world championships, Rau'Shee Warren and Demetrius Andrade led the charge. Each won gold and raised hopes for U.S. boxing in Beijing. Tune in: Men's marathon, women's high jump, and men's and women's 4x400m relays on NBC, 7:30 p.m.-midnight ET; boxing on Telemundo, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. ET.
Day 16 Aug. 24
At the closing ceremonies, it's celebration time for the athletes, and the torch will be passed on to London for the 2012 Summer Games. Tune in: Ceremonies, plus men's volleyball on NBC, 7-11 p.m. ET.
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