Special Programming Begins Tuesday, December 26
17 Programs Featured including Gold Medal Wins by Sarah Hughes (2002), Evan Lysacek (2010) and Ice Dancers Meryl Davis & Charlie White (2014)
2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships January 3-13 on NBC, NBCSN, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 21, 2017 - Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA presents “Olympic Skating Spectacular,” beginning Tuesday, December 26, with more than 30 hours of figure skating action from four different Olympic Winter Games. “Olympic Skating Spectacular,” which leads into NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships January 3-13, features the greatest assemblage of Olympic figure skating programming ever seen on a single network in the United States.
“Olympic Skating Spectacular” programming highlights many iconic Olympic moments, including nine medals (three gold) won by U.S. figure skaters across the four Olympics, every free skate from the past four Games, and the final night of competition from the team event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Archival coverage begins with the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics pairs’ free skate on Tuesday, December 26, at 7 p.m. ET, and concludes with a marathon featuring every ladies’ free skate from the past four Games on Wednesday, January 3. Programming on January 3rd will lead into NBC Sports Group’s live U.S. Figure Skating Championships coverage.
Carolyn Manno hosts coverage, as it weaves though many historic moments in Olympic figure skating:
- 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Sarah Hughes improves from fourth place after the short program to win gold, Michelle Kwan and Timothy Goebel each take home bronze. The pairs’ competition becomes one of the most memorable events of the 2002 Salt Lake Games, when a judging scandal leads to gold medals being awarded to both the Russian and Canadian teams.
- 2006 Torino Olympics: Sasha Cohen wins ladies’ silver, and ice dancers Tanith Belbin (White) and Ben Agosto also take silver.
- 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Evan Lysacek wins gold, and Yuna Kim also takes home gold, giving South Korea its first Olympic medal in figure skating. Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir become the first North American team to win the ice dance title, after European teams won Olympic gold at nine straight Games. Their training mates, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, take ice dance silver.
- 2014 Sochi Olympics: Davis and White win the first U.S. gold medal in ice dance, and earn a then-record score of 116.63 in the free dance. In the first team event ever held at the Olympics, the U.S. takes bronze.
Commentators on the archival programs include: Tom Hammond, Tracy Wilson, Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic, Dick Button, Beth Ruyak and Andrea Joyce, with studio programming hosted by Bob Costas and Meredith Vieira.
Following is the full schedule of coverage for “Olympic Skating Spectacular” archival programming on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA:
| Date | Time (ET) | Event |
| Tues., Dec. 26 | 7 p.m. | 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Pairs’ Free Skate |
| 9 p.m. | 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Men’s Free Skate | |
| Wed., Dec. 27 | 7 p.m. | 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Free Dance |
| 9 p.m. | 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| Thurs., Dec. 28 | 7 p.m. | 2006 Torino Olympics: Pairs’ Free Skate |
| 8:30 p.m. | 2006 Torino Olympics: Men’s Free Skate | |
| Fri., Dec. 29 | 7 p.m. | 2006 Torino Olympics: Free Dance |
| 9 p.m. | 2006 Torino Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| Sat., Dec. 30 | 7 p.m. | 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Pairs’ Free Skate |
| 9 p.m. | 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Men’s Free Skate | |
| Sun., Dec. 31 | 7 p.m. | 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Free Dance |
| 9 p.m. | 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| Mon., Jan. 1 | 6 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Team Free Skate |
| 9 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Pairs’ Free Skate | |
| 10 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Men’s Free Skate | |
| Tues., Jan. 2 | 7 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Free Dance |
| 8:30 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| Wed., Jan. 3 | 2:30 p.m. | 2002 Salt Lake Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate |
| 4:30 p.m. | 2006 Torino Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| 7 p.m. | 2010 Vancouver Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate | |
| 9 p.m. | 2014 Sochi Olympics: Ladies’ Free Skate |
“Olympic Skating Spectacular” leads into NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, beginning Wednesday, January 3, live at 11 p.m. ET with the ladies’ short program on NBCSN. Complete programming information, including event previews, will be announced next week.
ABOUT OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA
Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. The TV network offers fans year-round programming of Olympic Sports from around the world, highlighting their favorite American athletes and teams. Programming emphasizes live events from a broad portfolio of summer and winter Olympic Sports. It also includes Olympic-themed original content produced by all three parties, such as original programs produced by filmmakers from around the world commissioned by the global Olympic Channel; rich archival footage from the IOC and NBCU’s libraries of Olympic features and documentaries; and original Team USA programming produced by the USOC that provides authentic, wide-ranging and athlete-focused coverage of the Olympic Movement in the United States. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is live streamed on OlympicChannel.com, the Olympic Channel app, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Select replays and highlights are available on these digital platforms as well as TeamUSA.org.
–OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA–
