Can’t get enough Winter Olympics speed skating? Both men’s and women’s groups will battle it out for the gold on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Mass Start semi-finals start at 2:00 AM (ET) with medaling starting at 3:30 AM (ET). Whether you’re traveling abroad, or just breaking away from traditional cable TV providers, finding free live streams (or replays) online can be tricky.
That’s what we’re here for. Get yourself a good VPN, connect to the right server, and you can watch HD streams of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics speed skating for free.
Just follow these steps:
- Sign up for a fast, reliable VPN. NordVPN is our No. 1 pick for live streaming sports in 2022.
- Download and install the app from the VPN’s website. Just click the NordVPN box below.
- Log in with the credentials you created when you signed up.
- Connect to a server in Australia.
- Once connected, navigate to 7Plus’s Olympic Coverage
- Now that you’re connected to the site through an Aussie server, enjoy the races!
If you want to learn more about speed skating, and how to live stream sports from anywhere in the world, read our full article below.
This weekend marks the end of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and fans are gearing up for the ultimate speed skating finale. Some viewers have compared mass start speed skating to “NASCAR on Ice,” or even an ice-cold roller derby. Though elbow-throwing and fist-flying might be an exaggeration, the start is still hectic and pushy, and it’s an all-out Olympic event that can’t be missed.
But Olympics fans who have cut the cord on traditional cable providers could miss out if they don’t find an online stream. Likewise, travelers abroad may not be able to access their home stream thanks to geo-blocking restrictions. Are you looking for free live streams of the 2022 Winter Olympics speed skating? Want to connect to your service back home? We’ve got all your needs covered here.
Where to Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics Speed Skating Finals
We’ve been covering all the key Winter Olympics games this year, and have rounded up the best free streams from around the globe. Some countries — like Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom — offer free online access to the Olympic Games. Others, like the US and most of Europe, require a contract or some kind of subscription service to watch online.
If you want to watch one of the free streams below, you’ll just need to use a VPN for the websites to grant you access. More on that in just a bit. Here are the best free streams worldwide:
| Region | Stream | Paid or Free |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 7Plus | Free |
| Canada | CBC | Free |
| Netherlands | NPO Start | Free |
| United Kingdom | BBC iPlayer | Free, but requires a British postal code to sign up |
| United States | Peacock | Paid, but available for a free trial of Peacock |
| United States | NBC Sports | Free (30 minutes of live events or full event replays) |
| Europe | Eurosport | Paid |
How to Watch Beijing 2022 Mass Start Speed Skating Finals
If you’re reading this, we assume you want an English-language broadcast. To access the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics for free, we’ve grown fond of 7Plus in Australia. They provide excellent Olympic coverage, their site is easy to navigate, and their commentary has that Australian accent you can’t help but love. So we’ll use them as an example.
7Plus provides free streaming to anyone in Australia. You can access their stream using one of two ways:
- You can be physically located in Australia, go to the 7Plus site and stream from there.
- You can use a VPN, connect to 7Plus through an Australian server, and stream from anywhere in the world.
While the technology itself is complex, the process for us average users is simple. All you need to do is sign up for a VPN to bypass these geo-restrictions. A VPN can change your IP address to an Australian one, unblock the content and you’ll be watching speed skating in a matter of minutes.
We’ll walk you through it here:
Step-by-step guide: Stream the 2022 Beijing Mass Start Speed Skating Finals with a VPN.
- Choose a VPN for live streaming sports. We’ve been using NordVPN to stream the entire 2022 Winter Olympics, and it hasn’t let us down yet. Just go to their website via the box below and sign up and register.
- Once you’ve created your account, download the app and install it. NordVPN provides easy prompts for downloads.
- Open the VPN and log in using the credentials you created during Step 1.
- Connect to a server in Australia. Make sure the VPN is connected and running.
- Navigate to 7 Plus’s live stream of the mass start speed skating finals.
- You’re off to the races!
What About Using a Free VPN to Stream Speed Skating?
Here’s a question we’re asked constantly: “Why pay for a VPN when you can get one for free?” While free VPNs are great for certain online activities, live streaming sports isn’t one of them. The number one reason is the VPN’s server speed. Typically, free VPNs don’t have the speeds that live streaming requires. You’ll end up with a lot of freezing and lagging, which defeats the purpose of watching in the first place.
We’ve also faced data restrictions when streaming sports. Most free VPNs cut off their service once these data limits are met. This could mean that you lose your live stream connection, or end up paying for more upgrades.
Finally, free VPNs don’t typically offer as many server locations as you’ll need. Premium VPNs will have plenty of options in all the countries you’ll need. But for free VPNs, you’re never guaranteed to have them in the country you need to.
Free VPNs aren’t bad at all when you choose them correctly. But they’re just not right for streaming sports. We like free VPNs for surfing the web and protecting your privacy while on public Wi-Fi, for example.
Beijing Winter Olympics Speed Skating Schedule
Once you have your VPN and preferred streaming service, you’ll need the Winter Olympics mass start speed skating schedule for Men’s and Women’s mass semi-finals and finals.
Below is the speed skating Olympics schedule.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Feb. 19 | 2:00 AM ET | Men’s Mass semi-finals |
| Sat., Feb. 19 | 2:45 AM ET | Women’s Mass semi-finals |
| Sat., Feb. 19 | 3:30 AM ET | Men’s Mass Final (Gold Medal Event) |
| Sat., Feb. 19 | 4:00 AM ET | Women’s Mass Final (Gold Medal Event) |
What Is Mass Start Speed Skating?
After debuting in 2018 in PyeongChang, mass start speed skating has become one of our favorite Olympics events. It’s a little different than other individual speed skating races. It’s 16 laps, and rather than skating in pairs and letting the fastest time win, 24 skaters (max) begin the race at the same time. Pushing and pulling during the start have been known to occur.
Results are decided by “sprint points,” instead of times. These sprint points are given during three intermediate sprints and a final sprint. After each intermediate sprint (after laps 4, 8, and 12) the first, second, and third skaters that cross the finish line get 5, 3, or 1 sprint point, respectively.
For the final sprint, the first, second, and third skaters that cross the finish receive 60, 40, and 20 points, respectively. The skaters with the most sprint points will earn gold, silver, and bronze. Other skaters are placed based on their sprint points.
