The Winter Olympics officially returns with the Opening Ceremony on February 4th, 2022. Beijing, China hosts the 24th Winter Olympics where nearly 3000 athletes will compete for glory and the pride of their home country.
If you’re traveling during the games or live in a country without an official Winter Olympics broadcaster, you might be restricted from watching the games. The good news is, there is a way around geo-restrictions, the VPN. A quality VPN can also give you access to free international streams if not available in your home country! Follow these simple steps to watch the Winter Olympics online:
- Choose a quality VPN provider, like NordVPN. NordVPN is our recommendation because of its speed and reliability.
- Signup for the service and then download and install their app.
- Connect to a server in the country of your chosen streamer. For example, in the UK for BBC iPlayer or in the US for NBC Sports.
- Go to the streaming platform of your choice and find the stream of the event you want to watch.
- Enjoy the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics!
For the full list of free streaming providers carrying the game or the event schedule, read our full article below.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are here again! This year’s games take place in Beijing, China, starting on February 4th and running through February 20th. The official opening ceremony will begin at 6:30 am ET on February 4th. It is important to note that several competitions begin on February 2nd, two days before the official opening ceremony, including Curling and Luge.
A large number of the world’s most talented athletes will gather to take part in the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. Even with some athletes testing positive for COVID-19, nearly 3,000 athletes from 95 countries are expected to compete in 109 medal events across 15 sports. That’s a lot of action that you don’t want to miss!
Below is our full guide on how to live stream the Winter Olympics, everything from the opening ceremony to the last medal given out, no matter where you are.
How to Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics from Anywhere
The 2022 Winter Olympics is a global event covered by streaming providers around the world with the events spread throughout each day. Below are this year’s main broadcasters:
| Region | Stream | Paid or Free |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 7Plus | Free |
| Canada | CBC | Free |
| Europe | Eurosport | Paid |
| Netherlands | NPO Start | Free |
| United Kingdom | BBC iPlayer | Free, but requires a British postal code |
| United States | Peacock | Paid |
| United States | NBC Sports |
Free (30 minute trial) |
The Winter Olympics might be a worldwide event, but unfortunately, depending on your location, you might find yourself blocked from your favorite Olympics streams. This is due to broadcasting rights. Typically, each country has its own licensed broadcaster that can carry the event. If you find yourself away from your home country or in a country without streaming rights, you’ll be unable to watch the Olympic games. Luckily, there is a way around the geo-restrictions. It’s called a virtual private network or a VPN.
A VPN allows you to change the IP address to appear like you are connecting from the same country the VPN’s server is located in. This means if you are traveling abroad but still want to log into your Peacock account to catch the Winter Olympics, you can use a VPN with a US server to connect through a US IP address.
A step-by-step guide: Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics outside the US
- Subscribe to a VPN provider with fast, reliable servers to not experience buffering during streaming the Winter Olympics. NordVPN is our recommendation because of its large network of servers with terrific speeds.
- Sign up for NordVPN and then download and install the app based on the provided instructions.
- Next, connect to a server based on your chosen streamer. For example, if you’re watching the Winter Olympics online with Peacock, choose a US server.
- Pull up the streaming platform and navigate to the Olympic game of your choice.
- Enjoy all of the Winter Olympic action from anywhere in the world!
Can You Use a Free VPN to Watch the 24th Winter Olympics?
Free VPNs have their place, but not when it comes to live-streaming the Winter Olympics. This is because free VPNs have restrictions and limitations, especially when it comes to speed and reliability. For fast-paced sporting events like the Winter Olympics, watching every event without buffering requires a quality VPN with lightning-fast servers. Unfortunately, if you go with a free VPN, you will typically have to deal with less than reliable servers and capped speeds.
Additionally, free VPNs often have data limits and limited servers. Data limits mean you can quickly run out of included data while streaming live sporting events. After that, your stream’s quality can greatly drop off or even cease altogether. A limited number of servers reduces your chance of connecting to a server in the country you need.
If you want to try a free VPN for surfing the web or streaming pre-recorded events, check out our rankings of the best truly free VPNs of 2022 for the best free VPNs available.
2022 Winter Olympic Schedule
The 24th Winter Olympics officially runs from February 4th through the 20th, but there are several events that begin on February 2nd. Below is the current schedule for the 2022 Winter Olympics events.
| Sport | No. Events | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Ceremony | 1 | Feb. 4 |
| Alpine Skiing | 13 | Feb. 6 – Feb. 11 Feb. 13 Feb. 15 – Feb. 17 Feb. 19 |
| Biathlon | 10 | Feb. 5 Feb. 7 – Feb. 8 Feb. 11 – Feb. 13 Feb. 15 – Feb. 16 Feb 18. – Feb. 19 |
| Bobsleigh | 8 | Feb. 13 – Feb. 15 Feb. 18 – Feb. 20 |
| Cross-Country Skiing | 10 | Feb. 5 – Feb. 6 Feb. 8 Feb. 10 – Feb. 13 Feb. 16 Feb. 19 – Feb. 20 |
| Curling | 46 | Feb. 2 – Feb. 20 |
| Figure Skating | 12 | Feb. 4 Feb. 6 – Feb. 8 Feb. 10 Feb. 12 Feb. 14 – Feb. 15 Feb. 17 – Feb. 20 |
| Freestyle Skiing | 20 | Feb. 3 Feb. 5 – Feb. 10 Feb. 13 – Feb. 19 |
| Ice Hockey | 58 | Feb. 3 – Feb. 20 |
| Luge | 6 | Feb. 5 – Feb. 10 |
| Nordic Combined | 3 | Feb. 9 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 |
| Short Track | 6 | Feb. 5 Feb. 7 Feb. 9 Feb. 11 Feb. 13 Feb. 16 |
| Skeleton | 4 | Feb. 10 – Feb. 12 |
| Ski Jumping | 7 | Feb. 5 – Feb. 7 Feb. 11 – Feb. 12 Feb. 14 |
| Snowboarding | 18 | Feb. 5 – Feb. 12 Feb. 14 – Feb. 15 |
| Speed Skating | 12 | Feb. 5 – Feb. 8 Feb. 10 – Feb. 13 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 – Feb. 19 |
Talent to Look Out For in the Winter Olympic Games
This year’s event has a long list of seasoned athletes, but there are several newcomers to the games that are sure to make names for themselves with their skills and flare. Below are just some of the new talent joining the games in Beijing.
- Alice Robinson – New Zealand – Alpine Skiing
- Lucas Braathen – Norway – Alpine Skiing
- Elvira Oeberg – Sweden- Biathlon
- Sebastian Samuelsson – Sweden- Biathlon
- Laura Nolte – Germany – Bobsleigh
- Michael Vogt – Switzerland – Bobsleigh
- Frida Karlsson – Sweden – Cross-Country Skiing
- Hugo Lapalus – France – Cross-Country Skiing
- Bobby Lammie – Great Britain – Curling
- Ekaterina Kuzmina – Russian Olympic Committee – Curling
- Kamila Valieva – Russian Olympic Committee – Figure Skating
- Kagiyama Yuma – Japan – Figure Skating
- Eileen Gu – China – Freestyle Skiing
- Matej Svancer – Austria – Freestyle Skiing
- Petra Nieminen – Finland – Ice Hockey
- Matty Beniers – USA – Ice Hockey
- Jutta Leerdam – The Netherlands – Speed Skating
- Gao Tingyu – China – Speed Skating
Want to read more about streaming the Winter Olympics? Check out our article “How to Watch the Winter Olympics Online (Free Streams).”
