The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics kicked off on February 4, 2022, with heated battles unfolding every day. The dynamic performances of Japanese athletes have been drawing attention to ski cross. Ski cross is also known as "a martial art on snow," and many fans tune in to the thrill of the athletes competing for the fastest speed and the fascinating tactics of the competition. Here, we'll introduce the key points of ski cross, a signature event of the Winter Olympics. This should make watching the event on TV or online even more exciting. Be sure to learn the basics and enjoy the battle for the world's strongest champion
Ski Cross ｜Ski Cross
Every episode is filled with unexpected happenings that go viral on the internet!
Who will be the world's strongest king and win this snow battle with unbridled fighting spirit?
■ Beijing Olympics Ski Cross Competition Schedule
Ski cross is a race of speed, and because it moves at a good tempo, the qualifying and final rounds are held on the same day. If the weather is clear and the event is held during the day, you can enjoy watching the exhilarating battles under a clear blue sky. Don't miss the live terrestrial broadcast (NHK) as you look forward to the success of the Japanese athletes
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 17th (Thursday) 11:30-12:15 (12:30-13:15 Japan time) | Women's Ski Cross Seeding Tournament | Uncho Snow Park | Thursday, February 17th, 12:20pm (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| Thursday, February 17th , 14:00-15:10 (15:00-16:10 Japan time) Depending on the ranking match | Women's Ski Cross 1st Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Deciding Match Women's Ski Cross Final | Uncho Snow Park | Live broadcast on Thursday, February 17th from 3:15pm (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| February 18th (Friday) 11:45-12:30 (12:45-13:30 Japan time) 13:45-15:55 (14:45-16:55 Japan time) Depending on the ranking match | Men's Ski Cross Seeding Match Men's Ski Cross 1st Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Ranking Match Men's Ski Cross Final | Uncho Snow Park | Friday, February 18th, 12:20pm - Live broadcast (Cross Seed Deciding Match) 14:50pm - Live broadcast (NHK General TV) & Live Internet Streaming (NHK) gorin.jp is here |
■Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Ski Cross
Although we don't usually have a chance to watch it on TV or online, ski cross is praised every time the Olympics are held, with people saying things like, "It's fun!", "I'm hooked!" and "It's really amazing!" It became an Olympic event at the Vancouver Olympics (2010). The final round is an easy-to-understand tournament format, with four athletes skiing at the same time and the top two advancing to the next round. The appeal is that it can be enjoyed as entertainment even if you don't know the athletes. There are also accidents such as falls along the way, and last-minute comebacks are also points not to be missed
Unlike alpine racing, ski cross requires more than just the ability to slide skis quickly on the snow. The course is full of curves and large undulations. It requires a high level of slope adaptability, including how to take corners while skiing with multiple people at the same time, how to accelerate while absorbing the impact of bumps, and how to land without losing balance and minimize speed loss when you're inevitably thrown into the air
Above all, it's the tactics that determine victory. Always keeping an eye on targets in front, behind, left, and right, how you choose your line, and where and when to overtake the skier in front of you—it all depends on strategy. If the skier in front of you falls, you'll be caught up in the crash and end up crashing too. Even if you're skiing the way you want, you never know when your opponent will pounce. Every second counts, making it a survival race where you can't let your guard down.
It might also be interesting to compare skiing with snowboard cross, a similar event, to see the differences between skiing and snowboarding. While it's a freestyle skiing event, it also has elements of alpine skiing, so the skiers are generally from Europe, where alpine skiing is strong, such as France, Switzerland, Austria, and Scandinavia. Conversely, the United States, which is strong in almost every event, somehow tones down its ski cross competition.
This season, seven men's champions have been born in the eight FIS World Cup events. Japan's ace, Ryu Sugai, has finally reached the podium and is making great strides. In other words, the Olympic gold medal is so close that it's almost impossible to predict. Meanwhile, in the women's competition, Sandra Näslund (Sweden) is on a winning streak, and there's no doubt she is the leading gold medal contender
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Ski Cross
■ Beijing Olympics Ski Cross Competition Format
In the "individual", the flow is like this from the preliminary round to the final round.
- 〈Qualifying Seeding Run〉Everyone skated one by one and measured the time. Seeds will be determined in order of time, and will be used as the criteria for pairing in the final round.
- <Final Round> Four competitors start at the same time, and the top two competitors advance to the next round. The order is 1/8 (eight) final → 1/4 (quarter) final → semi-final
- <Small Final> The final to decide 5th to 8th place. The four skaters who lost in the semi-final will skate
- The Big Final: The four remaining skaters will skate to determine the medalists
Ski cross only becomes a tournament format from the final round onwards, where the qualifying rounds are held to determine the rankings based on each skier's skiing time. This is a necessary step to determine the slots for the tournament. In a normal World Cup qualifying round, the 32 finalists are decided in order of time. However, in the Olympics, the base entry number is 32, so basically no skiers are eliminated (there are exceptions), and the meaning is different from the qualifying rounds for other events. In the final round, the tournament progresses with slots allocated in order of qualifying time
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
■Beijing Olympic Ski Cross Venue
Uncho Snow Park
This is the course that was unveiled for the test tournament in November 2021
■ Japanese ski cross athletes at the Beijing Olympics 
[Men]
| name | Date of birth | where one is from | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ryo Sugai | @ryorioss | December 11, 1991 | Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture | Team Creb | first appearance |
| Satoshi Furuno | @satoshi_furuno | June 11, 1999 | Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture | USEN-NEXTGROUPSC | first appearance |
Ace skier Ryu Sugai is a skier who switched from high-speed alpine skiing. Last season, in his third season competing in the World Cup, he achieved his first podium finish (2nd place) at a competition in Russia. He also placed 7th in the opening round of this season. As ski cross is an event where "anything can happen," there is every chance that Sugai will surprise everyone in Beijing. Furuno, who is also competing for the first time, is an unknown quantity, but he is a rising star who just barely managed to grab a chance to compete in the Olympics. It will be a battle to see what kind of performance both skiers will show on the world's most competitive stage
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
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