The final event of the Winter Olympics Alpine skiing program is also one of the most exciting and certainly the most unique. The mixed team parallel slalom competition – as it’s officially known – is the only ski racing event that includes both genders and the only non-individual event within the sport at the Winter Games.
The United States is one of 15 nations slated to compete in the tournament style competition, and for the first time in her Olympic career, Mikaela Shiffrin is in the U.S. squad.
How does the Alpine skiing mixed team event work?
Included for the second time ever at the Winter Olympics, the mixed team parallel slalom event pits teams of four – two men and two women per team – against each other in a series of side-by-side slalom races. Each team member races a member of the opposite team (of the same gender) down identical slalom courses. The athlete that gets to the finish first wins a point for his/her team, and the team with the most points after all four races advances to the next round. In the event of a 2-2 tie, the team with the lowest combined time advances.
The competition begins with the Round of 16 and follows a single-elimination format until there are four semifinalists. The two semifinal winners then race for the gold medal, while the semifinal losers match up for bronze.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Though teams only use four skiers per round, each team is allowed six total athletes and may rotate who participates in each round.
Local
The mixed team competition, like all 10 individual Alpine skiing events, will take place at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center. However, it will not take place on either of the two courses that have hosted events previously. Instead, a third, wider piste will host the competition.
Who will race for Team USA in the Alpine skiing mixed team event?
In the event’s Olympic debut four years ago, the United States suffered a frustrating first-round defeat to Great Britain via a tiebreaker. However, that U.S. team did not have Mikaela Shiffrin.
The big question for the U.S. this time around is what version of Shiffrin will it get? The 26-year-old is the most accomplished slalom skier of all-time and, under normal circumstances, would be all but a guaranteed point for the U.S. every time she races. However, the circumstances at these Games have been anything but normal for Shiffrin. In three technical races in Beijing (giant slalom, slalom and the slalom half of the combined event), she has failed to finish all of them.
Regardless of how she and the U.S. fair, Shiffrin will make history simply by taking part. She will become just the second woman to compete in all six events Alpine skiing events at the Winter Games. Coincidently, the first, 2022 slalom gold medalist Petra Vlhova, will not be available for Slovakia, who the U.S. faces in the first round.
Shiffrin will be joined on the U.S. team by Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt, Tommy Ford, River Radamus and Luke Winters.
Which country is expected to win the Alpine skiing mixed team event?
The 2018 event came down to a matchup between the Alpine skiing giants Austria and Switzerland. Those nations are seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, this time around and are the overwhelming favorites to meet in the final. But between them, it’s the Swiss who are clear favorites. Apart from having already set a Winter Games record with five individual gold medals in Beijing, the Swiss had six athlete finish in top-10 position in either the men’s or women’s slalom. Austria, meanwhile, had two.
Norway, with the bronze medalist (Sebastian Foss-Solevaag) and fourth-place finisher (Henrik Kristoffersen) in the men’s slalom, will have sights set on an upset.
What time does the mixed team event start?
The mixed team event kicks off at 9 p.m. ET with the Round of 16. The quarterfinals then start at 9:40 p.m. ET, followed by the semifinals at 10:09 p.m. ET.
The medal matchups get underway at 10:28 p.m. ET.
How to watch the mixed team event on TV
The entirety of the Alpine skiing mixed team event will be broadcast LIVE on the USA Network as part of its 24/7 Olympics coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
How to stream the mixed team event on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app
Users with cable or satellite subscriptions can authenticate via TV Everywhere to stream every Alpine skiing event in the NBC Sports app or on NBCOlympics.com. A simulcast of NBC Primetime and USA Network coverage is available, as well as a World Feed stream with OBS-provided commentary.
| Network | Start time | Stream Link |
| USA Network | 1 a.m. ET | HERE |
| World Feed | 1 a.m. ET | HERE |
How to stream the women's combined on Peacock
For the first time, users can stream every event of the 2022 Winter Olympics LIVE on Peacock. World feed coverage of the mixed team event begins at 9 p.m. ET.
