23 Colorado Athletes To Compete For Team USA At Winter Games

COLORADO— With COVID-19 protocols restricting spectators to a select few in the 2022 Beijing Olympics starting Friday, the only way to cheer on 23 Winter Olympics athletes with ties to Colorado is from home.

The Olympic schedule shows competition beginning Wednesday, ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

On Jan. 24, the Colorado Springs-based U.S. Olympic Committee announced the complete national team, featuring 222 athletes from 31 states. California had the most people on the roster, but Colorado was second.

Athletes with ties to Colorado who are representing the United States in the Feb. 4-20 XXIV Olympiad are:

• Aaron Blunck, Crested Butte, Freestyle/Freeski
• Chris Corning, Avon, Snowboarding
• Mick Dierdorff, Steamboat Springs, Snowboarding
• Hanna Faulhaber, Basalt, Freestyle/Freeski
• Alex Ferreira, Aspen, Freestyle/Freeski
• Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Nordic Combined
• Lucas Foster, Telluride, Snowboarding
• Brandon Frazier, Colorado Springs, Figure Skating
• Stacy Gaskill, Golden, Snowboarding
• Red Gerard, Silverthorne, Snowboarding
• Taylor Gold, Steamboat Springs, Snowboarding
• Jasper Good, Steamboat Springs, Nordic Combined
• Nicole Hensley, Lakewood, Ice Hockey
• Birk Irving, Winter Park, Freestyle/Freeski
• Hagen Kearney, Norwood, Snowboarding
• Nina O'Brien, Denver, Alpine Skiing
• River Radamus, Edwards, Alpine Skiing
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Edwards, Alpine Skiing
• Nick Shore, Denver, Ice Hockey
• Hailey Swirbul, El Jebel, Cross-Country Skiing
• Meghan Tierney, Eagle, Snowboarding
• Dylan Walczyk, Blue River, Freestyle/Freeski
• Cody Winters, Steamboat Springs, Snowboarding

The Beijing Games are the second Olympics competition to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were delayed until 2021, and athletes in Beijing will face similarly rigid protocols, as COVID-19 numbers remain high around the world.

Olympic organizers in mid-January suspended ticket sales to the general public, saying that selected groups of spectators would be invited on-site. International spectators cannot attend.

How To Watch The Olympics

NBCUniversal is the main broadcast partner and will offer 2022 Beijing Olympics programming across its cable, broadcast and digital platforms, including NBC, USA, CNBC and the Olympic Channel.

But what if you've cut the cord on cable? People with basic cable packages that include access to NBC can watch livestream coverage with the NBC Sports app.

Here are some other options:

• SlingTV's Blue Plan includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympic coverage.
• Sling is offering a free trial of its Blue Plan, which includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympics coverage.
• fuboTV offers Olympic livestreams
• Hulu + Live TV gives you access on TVs, tablets, laptops and other devices.
• NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, offers livestreaming via laptops, smartphones and smart TVs.

The Olympic athletes face a number of hurdles under a COVID-19 safety plan that includes daily testing of both athletes and workers. A positive test could sideline athletes, even if they're no longer contagious, but Olympic organizers say the plan is flexible and allows for a case-by-case review on the need for isolation.