Sport: What to Watch and When

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Wednesday, Feb. 20, 9-11 p.m.: Yet another chapter in the saga of the Heiden family: Beth skates in the 3,000 meters. In the women's giant slalom, Liechtenstein's Hanni Wenzel is the one to catch.

Thursday, Feb. 21, 8-11 p.m.: Men's figure skating reaches balletic heights in the free-skating competition. America's Charlie Tickner, 26, a former world champion and a stylish and explosive performer, takes on Britain's Robin Cousins, Europe's titleholder; East Germany's Jan Hoffmann and the Soviets' Vladimir Kovalev, the current world champion. Says Cousins of the showdown: "It depends upon who makes the mistakes under pressure." Eric Heiden skates in the 1,500 meters.

Saturday, Feb. 23, 8-11 p.m.: The women's free-skating program, the most lovely and ethereal of all the figure-skating events, is one of the few competitions to be shown live. Look for an everything-goes performance from America's Linda Fratianne, 19, the world champion. Earlier, Eric Heiden skates in his final event: the 10,000-meter backbreaker.

Sunday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: The ice hockey finals should offer a look at the Soviet squad that warms up for the Olympics by whipping National Hockey League all-star teams. With a lot of luck, the young and feisty U.S. squad could find itself facing off against the Soviets. At 2:30-5 p.m., the finals of the four-man bobsled pair the world's best racers and the world's fastest, toughest course in duels of icy nerve at speeds of up to 95 m.p.h. A fortnight of competition concludes (7 p.m.-10:30 p.m.) with ceremonies marking the end of the 13th Winter Olympiad.