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 internet-buzzing incidents!
Who will emerge victorious in this fiercely competitive snow battle?
■ 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 | Yunding Snow Park | February 17th (Thursday) 12:20 PM (NHK General) gorin.jp ishere |
| Thursday, February 17th , 14:00-15:10 (Japan time 15:00-16:10) - Depending on the results of the ranking matches. | Women's Ski Cross Round 1, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Ranking Matches, Women's Ski Cross Final | Yunding Snow Park | Live broadcast on February 17th (Thursday) from 15:15 (NHK General). for gorin.jp.Click here |
| February 18th (Friday) 11:45-12:30 (Japan time 12:45-13:30) 13:45-15:55 (Japan time 14:45-16:55) Depending on the results of the ranking matches | Men's Ski Cross Seeding Round Men's Ski Cross Round 1, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Ranking Round Men's Ski Cross Final | Yunding Snow Park | February 18th (Fri) 12:20 PM - Live broadcast (Cross-seeded match) 2:50 PM - Live broadcast of the final (NHK General) & Internet live streaming (NHK) for gorin.jpClick 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
And above all, what separates winners from losers is the strategy involved in the race. Constantly being aware of targets in front, behind, to the left and right, how to take your line, 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 could get caught up in it and crash too, ending your race. Even if you're skiing as you intend, you never know when an enemy might attack; every second can decide the outcome, making it a truly tense survival race.
It might also be interesting to compare it with snowboard cross, another sport in the same discipline, to check the differences in characteristics between skiing and snowboarding. Although it's a freestyle skiing event, it also has elements of alpine skiing, so generally speaking, European countries like France, Switzerland, Austria, and the Nordic countries, which are strong in alpine skiing, have a deep pool of athletes. Conversely, the United States, which is generally strong in most disciplines, seems to be toned down when it comes to ski cross for some reason.
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" category, the competition will proceed as follows from the preliminaries to the finals
- 〈Qualifying Seeding Run〉All skaters will skate one run at a time and their time will be recorded. Seeding will be determined by the time, and this will be the basis for pairings 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
Yunding Snow Park
This is the course that was unveiled for the test tournament in November 2021
■ Japanese ski cross athletes at the Beijing Olympics 
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | 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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