海角大神

The 22nd Olympic Winter Games officially get started Friday in Sochi, Russia. But there will be competition before the Olympic flame is formally lit.

Thursday, three new events will debut in Sochi. In figure skating, there will be short programs in both men's team and team pairs figure skating. Another new event is slopeside snowboarding for both men and women.

NBC will provide television coverage of the Winter Olympics on Thursday night, including snowboarding and team figure skating, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time. NBC-related cable television networks, such as CNBC, MSNBC, USA, and the NBC Sports Network, will also carry Winter Olympic events from Sochi starting early Saturday morning.

From the Sochi 2014 website, the team aspect in Olympic figure skating is explained:

American Jeremy Abbott is scheduled to skate the short program in the Team Men's competion. In the Team Pairs short program, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir will skate for the United States.

Up in the mountains outside Sochi, qualifying rounds in ladies moguls freestyle skiing will also take place. Hannah Kearney, Heidi Kloser, Eliza Outtrim, and Heather McPhie will represent the US.

Slopeside snowboarding qualifying in both men and ladies divisions is scheduled for Thursday. One familiar face to US snowboarding fans that will not be participating is Olympic gold medal winner Shaun White. The Monitor's Mark Sappenfield reported Wednesday on White's withdrawal from the new event.

Slopeside snowboarding is described this way at the Sochi 2014 website:

Even though White has withdrawn, there will be three Americans competing in the men's event: Charles Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg, and Ryan Stassel.

For the ladies, Ty Walker, Jamie Anderson, Karly Shorr, and Jessika Jenson will be representing the United States in the qualifying portion of the event.