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How To Watch The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST COVERAGE ON TV, ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

You might not be in the crowds at Sochi, but there’s still ways to catch all the action. Photo: Ed Blomfield

Listen up people! We’ve got some crucial information below to make you all-round viewing experience of this year’s Winter Olympics a breeze. There’s nothing worse than realising the halfpipe final is on in five minutes and panic-Googling how to watch it as quickly as possible.

Of course, you’ll be following the live blogs and reading all the updates right here on Whitelines.com (as well as using the hashtag #BackTheBrits). But it’s likely you’ll want to watch it as well, so get clued up with our coverage guide to Sochi, from television to radio to new-fangled digital streaming on your tablet. Below is the Sochi 2014 snowboarding schedule. Print it off and tape it to your fridge for starters.

N.B. All the start times listed below are UK times.

SOCHI 2014 Snowboard Competition schedule

Thursday 6th Feb
06.00 – Men’s and women’s slopestyle qualification

Saturday 8th Feb
05.30 – Men’s slopestyle semis
08.45 Men’s slopestyle final

Sunday 9th Feb
06.30 – Women’s slopestyle semis
09.15 – Women’s slopestyle final

Tuesday 11th Feb
10.00 – Men’s halfpipe qualification
15.00 – Men’s halfpipe semis
17.30 – Men’s halfpipe final

Wednesday 12th Feb
10.00 – Women’s halfpipe qualification
15.00 – Women’s halfpipe semis
17.30 – Women’s halfpipe final

Sunday 16th Feb
07.00 – Women’s snowboard cross qualification
09.15 – Women’s snowboard cross final

Monday 17th Feb
07.00 – Men’s snowboard cross qualification
09.15 – Men’s snowboard cross final

But the big question is: where can I watch it?

WATCH THE WINTER OLYMPICS ON TV

Luckily for us, the BBC have dedicated 200 hours of TV time to Sochi 2014, making it their most comprehensively covered Winter Olympics yet. It will start on 7th February on BBC 2 with live presenting from 7am to 7pm every day, fronted by good ol’ Claire Balding, Hazel Irvine and Jonathan Edwards. For those of us who can’t watch daytime TV during the week, there’s a highlight show from 7 to 8pm on BBC 2 every night.

For snowboarding event coverage in particular, Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood will be fronting the Beeb’s commentary. Genuinely a pairing we’re looking forward to listening to. After all, Ed must be the only person to ever compare a halfpipe run to a tiramisu….

Here’s what they had to say about their upcoming commentary:

Ed Leigh @snowedleigh

“Russia is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic Olympics in history, from the political and social tensions off the mountain to the competition on it.

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing British snowboarders and freeskiers finally being given the opportunity to show a mainstream audience that we do have elite winter sport athletes on snow. Most of all I want to see Jenny Jones do well. She’s dominated women’s slopestyle for the last decade and to miss out on mainstream recognition after so much hard work and sacrifice would be too cruel. Mark my words though, if Jenny, Aimee, Katie, Dom, Billy, Jamie or Ben does well then, to paraphrase Ron Burgundy, snowboarding will be ‘kind of a big deal’.

I’m going to be sitting next to Tim Warwood for the duration of the games, and for any of you who have had the pleasure of hearing Tim commentate live you will know it’s going to be a very entertaining. Event-wise, if I remove patriotism from my agenda then I am most looking forward to snowboard cross. The early rounds are one of the best spectacles in modern sport and commentating on it is a great privilege. As a final word, we’ll be on Twitter for the duration and we love feedback, so please offer up your heckles and props so that Tim and I can serve you better.”

 

Tim Warwood @tim_warwood

“I tried to think when I first commentated on a snowboard competition but I honestly can’t remember. I think it was probably around about 1999 at the Rosendale dry slope, in the rain, in front of about 6 people. So to be asked to commentate on the snowboarding (and freestyle skiing, believe it or not) for the BBC at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, it feels like a dream come true.

I was lucky enough to go along to the Vancouver Olympics 2010 as a spectator and it was incredible. The halfpipe was amazing and ended up being one of the most watched events from the games. At Sochi there’ll also be slopestyle which will probably be even more impressive, so that coupled with the fact we have some genuine medal contenders means it’s going to be epic.

Plus I get to play Robin to Ed Leigh’s Batman. If you saw any of the BBC coverage from the last two winter games, or even the 2012 summer Olympics, then you’ll know just how good Ed is at bringing events to life on screen. It’s going to be amazing, I really can’t wait!”

WATCH THE WINTER OLYMPICS Online

I’m sure they’ll be some dodgy websites out there streaming illegal broadcasts of events, but in the UK your best bet for live streaming is the BBC website. They’re offering six live streams at once to cover every event as it happens. You can watch all manner of events (even the curling, if you really want to!) on: desktop computer, tablet, mobile and connected TV.

LISTEN TO THE WINTER OLYMPICS ON Radio

BBC Radio 5 Live is the one to tune into for live commentary of the main events and races from Chris Mitchell, Eleanor Oldroyd and Will Perry. They’ll also have podcasts you can download at the end of every day here.

FOLLOWING all other updates (AND KEEPING UP WITH IT when you’re meant to be working/not watching tv…)

We’ll be giving you live updates and live blogging from all the snowboard events here at Whitelines HQ – qualis, semi, finals – the lot. We’ll also be providing in-depth commentary of the kind you won’t get from mainstream websites. Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for our latest news, opinions and photos from every event.

We’ll be using the Whitelines hash tag #BackTheBrits to show support for our men and women representing ol’ Blighty. Join us by hash-tagging the hell out of it!

SOCHI 2014 on social media – WHO’S WORTH FOLLOWING?

Apart from us (obviously), there are few names and faces taking part in the Games to give you a wider insight:

British Riders

Billy Morgan @billymorgan89
Jamie Nicholls @jamienichollsuk
Jenny Jones @jennyjonessnow
Aimee Fuller @aimee_fuller
Ben Kilner @benkilner
Dom Harington @domharington
Zoe Gillings @zoegillings

International Riders

Shaun White @shaun_white
Torah Bright @TorahBright
Iouri Podlatchikov @iouriamazing
Kelly Clark @kellyclarkfdn
Mark McMorris @markmcmorris
Torstein Horgmo @TorsteinHorgmo
Jamie Anderson @Jme_Anderson
Sebastien Toutant @SebToots
Silje Norendal @SiljeNorendal

Commentators, organisations and other useful voices

Official Sochi 2014 Twitter @sochi2014
British Snowboard Team @BritSnowboard
Ed Leigh, BBC commentator @snowedleigh
Tim Warwood, BBC commentator @tim_warwood
BBC Sport @BBCSport
British Ski and Snowboard (BSS – the governing body) @TeamBSS
FIS Snowboard World Cup @fissnowboard

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