Solomonic figure skating schedule discussed for 2022 Olympics, with events starting in morning and evening

Underwhelming attendance in the second hour of the short dance at the 2018 Olympics. (Philip Hersh photo)

After agreeing to a morning start for all figure skating events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, a move that benefitted NBC by providing prime-time viewing in the United States, the International Skating Union is considering a compromise for the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.

Sources with knowledge of the situation have told Globetrotting that although discussions are continuing, they think the figure skating schedule for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing could include starting times in both the morning and evening.

That means European viewers would not need to be awake in the middle of the night to watch all the skating.

Details of this Solomonic proposal are as yet not available because negotiations are ongoing with the broadcasters from several nations. A schedule is expected to be announced in September. One plan calls for having morning starts for half the events and evening starts for the other half, but many options remain under consideration.

One would nevertheless assume that both programs in the same discipline – pairs, for instance – would start at the same time, in either the morning or evening. Having a short program in the morning and free skate of the same discipline in the evening, or vice-versa, would turn athletes’ preparation topsy-turvy.

Ten of the 11 competition days in 2018 began at 10 a.m. Korea time, and the other at 10:30.  With the time difference, that was an 8 or 8:30 p.m. start in New York but 2 or 2:30 a.m. in much of Europe and 4 or 4:30 a.m. in Moscow.

Beijing is one hour closer to New York, meaning a 10 a.m. start in China would be 9 p.m. on the East Coast of the U.S., 3 a.m. in Paris and 5 a.m. in Moscow.

An 8 p.m. start in Beijing would be a reasonable 7 a.m. in New York but a dawn patrol 5 a.m. on the West Coast of the United States.

Given the length of most individual event sessions, between 3 ½ and 4 ½ hours, a 10 a.m. start in Beijing would mean events ending near or after 1 a.m. in New York but at a more attractive 10 p.m. on the West Coast.  Evening events starting at 8 p.m. in Beijing would end around 11 a.m. in New York and 8 a.m. on the West Coast.

With Russians utterly dominant in women’s singles and among the top teams (along with the Chinese) in pairs, it would make sense to have those events in the evening, with time periods more favorable for Russian viewers.

Three straight Olympics in Asia - two Winter, one Summer - have led to a growing resistance against letting U.S. interests hold sway. During a world broadcasters meeting in late February, the Chinese and European representatives pushed for evening figure skating events at the 2022 Winter Games. There was also a discussion about changing the order of events after the team competition. Beginning with the 1988 Olympics, the order has been pairs, men, dance, women.

The major drawback unrelated to TV about the morning starts in Korea was related to attendance.  Because local populations near the figure skating venue in Gangneung are relatively small, and Seoul is 110 miles away, the arena was all but empty for the first hour or two of every session.

That should not be a problem in 2022, when the figure skating arena will be in Beijing.

When Globetrotting revealed the 2018 schedule in an exclusive March, 2016 story, then International Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta said the morning starts were requested by “the Americans.”

NBC gets the chance to make such requests because of the billions it pays the International Olympic Committee for broadcast rights.  They exceed fees paid by any other broadcaster in the world.

While the IOC has input in scheduling, it usually leaves the details to the international federation governing the sport in question.

NBC paid $963 million for the 2018 rights and anted up $7.75 billion for rights to six Olympics beginning in 2022.  Given that rights to Summer Games are about 50 percent higher, the Beijing rights would be just over $1 billion.

The network’s programming plans for Beijing also will include dealing with its being the broadcast network for the Super Bowl two days after the opening ceremony.  This is the first time a Super Bowl will take place during an Olympics.

An NBC spokesman declined comment on the 2022 figure skating schedule.