Alex and Maia Shibutani are opening up about why they chose to skip out on the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday (February 9).
The ice dancers and siblings took to Twitter to explain their absence to fans.
“@MaiaShibutani and I didn’t march in the #OpeningCeremony,” Alex captioned the photo of the two below. “We missed being with our @TeamUSA teammates, but it was important for us to get good rest before we start competing. We still got into our uniforms and took pics with our friends before they left for the Olympic Stadium.”
“Photos from last night!” Maia added on her own Twitter. “@AlexShibutani and I didn’t attend the #OpeningCeremony so that we could prepare for our competition, but we took some pictures with our @TeamUSA teammates before they went to the stadium! 😊❤️🇺🇸 #TeamUSA #WinterOlympics.”
See all of their photos below, and be sure to check out JJJ‘s 7 things you need to know about the duo.
Meet the rest of the U.S. Figure Skating Olympic Team here.
.@MaiaShibutani and I didn’t march in the #OpeningCeremony. We missed being with our @TeamUSA teammates, but it was important for us to get good rest before we start competing. We still got into our uniforms and took pics with our friends before they left for the Olympic Stadium. pic.twitter.com/I7HyPuFIKd
So, what exactly is the team event? It’s kind of like the team event in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics.
There will be a short program and free skate is held in each of the four disciplines: men’s, women’s, pairs and ice dance. Skaters are judged as usual, but teams are scored based on placements within their discipline.
So, if a first-place performance would earn a country 10 points, a second-place performance would earn nine points, and so on.
Team USA still has to choose a rep for the ladies and ice dance sections. However, countries are allowed two substitutions, meaning that for two of those three disciplines a different skater or team can be used in the short and free.
After each of the short programs, the top five highest-scoring teams advance to the free program round. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Team USA earned a bronze medal for the inaugural event.
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games are officially kicking off tomorrow, February 9th and JJJ has the details on how you can watch the stunning opening ceremonies.
The Olympics actually run from February 7th to the 25th from South Korea and will be broadcast on NBC.
Just before the Opening Ceremonies kick off, infamous figure skater Yuna Kim will be the final athlete and will complete the ceremonial torch relay.
Here’s how you can tune into the event:
Start Time: The opening ceremony takes place live on Friday, February 9 @ 6 AM PT! (Not joking). If you don’t want to wake up that early, you’ll be able to watch it at a normal hour too — 8-11PM ET/PT on NBC.
Watch on TV: Head to NBC, the official network for the Olympics.
Watch Online: You can also livestream the opening ceremony and all the events from NBCOlympics.com.
With every Olympic games, there’s a mascot and this year, it’s Soohorang!
The cute animal is a white tiger and has long been considered Korea’s guardian animal.
The first part of his name, “Sooho”, means protection in Korean and symbolizes the protection offered to the athletes, spectators and other participants of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The last part of his name, “Rang”, comes from the middle letter of “Ho-rang-i”, the Korean word for “tiger,” and is also the last letter of “Jeong-seon A-ri-rang”, a cherished traditional folk song of Gangwon Province, where the Games will be held.
Soohorang not only has a challenging spirit and passion, but is also a trustworthy friend who protects the athletes, spectators and all the participants of the Olympic Games.
JJJ pulled together the full schedule of events for all our readers, so you know exactly when your fave event is happening — spoiler: it’s a lot!
From Figure Skating, to Alpine Skiing, to even our personal faves, Luge and Snowboarding — we can’t wait to watch the events happening from South Korea. You can watch them on primetime NBC, or grab the app and watch them live.
We’ve broken it down from week to week, so multiple days will be listed in each slide inside.
Tomorrow, the Opening Ceremonies will take place with infamous figure skater Yuna Kim completing the ceremonial torch relay. Stay tuned for how to watch those shortly!
Click inside for the full 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics schedule…
Chloe Kim and her father Jong are going to make you cry like a baby — trust us.
In the 17-year-old snowboarder’s Winter Olympics TV Spot, which aired during the Superbowl tonight, centers on her relationship with her dad, who left his job to support her own career.
“The coolest part about shooting this commercial was doing it with my dad,” Chloe shared. “It’s honestly the best representation of myself and my story because my dad was right there with me.”
Check out the commercial below, and stay tuned for Olympic coverage on JJJ starting next week!
Nathan Chen is showing everyone why he’s headed to the Olympics in the first of five Winter Olympics TV Spots, which aired during the Superbowl tonight.
The 18-year-old figure skater brushes past hockey players after their own practice to show off his skills — and impresses with his quads on the frozen ice.
“I am so excited and honored that NBC chose me to have my own commercial,” Nathan shared with EW earlier in the week. “It’s super cool.”
Check out the commercial below, and stay tuned for Olympic coverage on JJJ starting next week!
