Olympic viewing guide: When will Canada win its first medal?

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Let the Games (officially) begin. Though competition got underway a couple of days ago, the 2022 Winter Olympics formally kicked off with today's opening ceremony at Beijing's National Stadium. The Bird's Nest, as it's known, also hosted the ceremonies for the Summer Olympics 14 years ago.

A less-festive vibe surrounded today's show, which was closed to the public as part of the strict "safety" measures organizers are placing on fans, athletes, journalists and everyone else involved in the second Olympics of the COVID-19 pandemic. Select dignitaries were allowed to attend, but Canada declined to send any government representatives after joining a diplomatic boycott that also included the United States, Great Britain and Australia. One of the two Chinese athletes who lit the Olympic cauldron was cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who China says is of Uyghur heritage. China has been accused of severely mistreating that ethnic minority group — one of the reasons cited for the diplomatic boycott.

For the Parade of Nations portion of the show, the Canadian flag was carried by women's hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin and longtime short track speed skating star Charles Hamelin. Read more about the opening ceremony, see photos and watch highlights here.

Now the focus turns to competition. As we head into the first day with a full slate of events, the big question is who (and when) will Canada win its first medal? Let's start our daily viewing guide there, then look at other things worth watching on Friday night and Saturday morning in Canadian time zones.

There are three good chances, of varying strength. In chronological order:

Speed skating: Isabelle Weidemann in the women's 3,000 metres at 3:30 a.m. ET

Weidemann is ranked No. 1 in the World Cup standings for the women's long distances, which includes 3,000- and 5,000m races. But two top Dutch skaters — Irene Schouten and Antoinette de Jong — skipped the last event, costing them points. Schouten is a prohibitive favourite to win gold. Czech skater Martina Sablikova and de Jong are next in the betting odds, followed closely by Weidemann. The 26-year-old Canadian won a pair of silver medals and had a fourth-place finish in the three 3,000m races held this season on the World Cup circuit. Her first Olympic podium is definitely within reach.

Joining Weidemann in this race are fellow Canadians Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais. Both are good skaters, but this isn't their strongest event. Look for them and Weidemann to possibly win gold in the women's team pursuit and Blondin to contend in the women's mass start later in the Games.

Freestyle skiing: Mikaël Kingsbury in the men's moguls final at 6:30 a.m. ET

If you could wager on only one Canadian to win gold at these Olympics, you'd put your money on Kingsbury. The 29-year-old is the reigning Olympic and world champion, and he's on track to win his 10th consecutive World Cup moguls season title. A third Olympic medal (he took silver in 2014) is considered a near lock for the greatest moguls skier of all time, and in fact anything less than another gold would be a disappointment for him.

Kingsbury's chances look even better after the opening qualifying round. He posted the top score while his presumed main rival, Japan's Ikuma Horishima, placed 16th. That's well outside the top-10 result needed to advance directly to the final. Horishima, a former world champion who beat Kingsbury for victory three times on the World Cup circuit this season, now must go through the second round of qualifying, which takes place just before the three-run final.

Short track speed skating: Mixed team relay 

This is the diciest of the three medal chances. Canada is ranked fifth in the world in this new Olympic event, which sees teams made up of two men and two women race for 2,000 metres (18 laps). Twelve teams are competing, and only four make it to the final.