The 2022 Winter Olympics are just around the corner, which means than an intense period of Olympic qualifying is too.
The qualification process is two-fold: Athletes need to earn quota spots for the United States, and they also need to meet the selection criteria that will allow them to fill those spots at the Olympics. The bulk of the U.S. Olympic team is expected to be revealed in January once the qualifying periods officially wrap up for many sports, but a handful of athletes have already secured places on the roster and more will be nominated in the coming months..
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Below is a list of athletes that have qualified to represent the U.S. in Beijing, along with information on where the qualification process currently stands for each sport.
Alpine Skiing
A maximum of 22 athletes (11 men, 11 women) can represent each country, with a limit of four athletes entered in any individual event. Quota places will be allocated at the end of the qualification window, which started in July 2019 and runs through January 16, 2022. The top 16 countries in the FIS World Cup Nations Standings will be able to enter a team (two men, two women) in the mixed team event.
The selection period for the U.S. team will take place from October 23, 2021 through January 16, 2022. Priority will be given to athletes with one or more top-three finishes at FIS World Cup events.
Biathlon
Countries can earn up to 12 quota spots (six men, six women) in biathlon. The qualification period ends on January 16, and the exact number of spots each nation receives will be determined by a special quota list that ranks each country as a whole. The list is based on results from the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
The first phase of U.S. qualifying took place last winter, and Susan Dunklee and Clare Egan became the first athletes to provisionally qualify for the U.S. Olympic team by virtue of having multiple top-12 finishes at World Cup or world championship events during the 2020/21 season. The rest of the team will be filled out this winter during the second and third phases of qualifying. The U.S. is expected to have a minimum of four quota places per gender.
Women
Susan Dunklee
Clare Egan
Susan Dunklee will make her third appearance at the Winter Games after becoming one of the first athletes to qualify for the 2022 U.S. Olympic team.
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Bobsled
Countries can earn spots for up to three crews each in the four-man, two-man and two-woman bobsled events, as well as two quota spots in women's monobob. Overall rosters, however, are capped at 13 men and six women per country. The qualification period will end on January 16, 2022, at which time quota spots will be allocated based on the IBSF ranking list from the 2021/22 World Cup season.
For Team USA, pilots will be nominated based primarily on the world rankings. Push athletes will be nominated through discretionary selection, and sled combinations will be formed in consultation with the pilots.
Cross-Country Skiing
Countries can have up to eight men and eight women on the Olympic team, with no more than four athletes entered in each event. An initial batch of quota spots will be allocated based on a nation-ranking list, and then the remaining spots will be allocated on an individual basis. The qualification period ends on January 16, 2022.
The selection period for the U.S. team will run from November 25, 2021 to January 16, 2022, and priority will be given to athletes who earn top-eight individual finishes at a World Cup event. Remaining spots will be filled by a predetermined set of selection criteria.
Curling
The U.S. has qualified men's and women's teams for the Winter Olympics thanks to its results at the 2021 World Championships. It has not yet qualified a mixed doubles team but will have one last chance to do so at an Olympic qualifying event in December.
As for which teams will represent the U.S. in the men's and women's tournaments, that will be determined at Olympic Trials taking place November 12-21 in Omaha, Nebraska. Up to six teams per gender will participate.
Figure Skating
Countries can earn up to three quota spots each in the men's, women's, pairs and ice dance events. Earning the maximum number of quota spots would give a country 18 athletes total. The U.S. earned three spots in three disciplines (men's, women's, ice dance) and two spots in pairs. As a result, the U.S. has also qualified to compete in the team event.
Athletes will be named to Team USA after the conclusion of the 2022 U.S. Championships (January 3-9). Although the U.S. Championships will be an important event for Olympic selection, it's just one of several competitions that will be used to evaluate athletes. All spots on the team will be decided by the selection committee.
Freestyle Skiing
Each discipline within freestyle skiing has its own quota allocation process, but the qualification period for all disciplines ends on January 16, 2022. Countries can earn up to four quota spots in each discipline, but due to limits on overall roster size, countries may have to make decisions on which spots to fill and which to leave unused. Each nation can have up to 16 men and 16 women but is capped at 30 athletes total — unless that country has qualified for the aerials mixed team event. (Qualifying for the aerials mixed team event entitles a country to 32 athletes.) Because slopestyle and big air will feature the same athletes, they are treated as one event for qualification purposes. Countries that qualify the requisite number of athletes in aerials are eligible to form a team (three athletes total, at least one per gender) for the new mixed team event.
The U.S. has a selection process in place which features a combination of the FIS points lists and designated selection events. Up to three U.S. athletes can qualify automatically for each discipline through that selection process, and any remaining roster spots will be filled by discretionary selection.
Hockey
The U.S. has qualified men's and women's hockey teams for the Winter Olympics via its world rankings. Final rosters aren't due until early January, but the biggest development is that NHL players will be able to participate in the men's tournament for the first time since 2014. Three players have already been named to the men's team, with the rest of the roster expected to be named in January.
Men
Seth Jones (Defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks)
Patrick Kane (Forward, Chicago Blackhawks)
Auston Matthews (Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs)
NHL veteran Patrick Kane, a member of the 2010 team that won a silver medal, will play at his third Winter Olympics.
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Luge
Countries can earn a maximum of eight quota spots — three for men's singles, three for women's singles and two for doubles. Quota spots will be allocated based on World Cup rankings after January 10.
The qualification period for the U.S. Olympic team will run from the start of the World Cup season until January 10. Priority will be given to athletes who achieve top-five finishes. Summer Britcher has pre-qualified for a spot on the team thanks to a top-six finish at last year's world championships and could now verify her spot with a top-five finish at a World Cup event this winter.
Nordic Combined
Counties can earn up to five quota spots, though no more than four men from one country can compete in any of the events. Quota spots will be allocated based on a list that uses two seasons' worth of World Cup results. The qualifying period ends on January 16, 2022.
The winner of Olympic Trials (December 24-25) is guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team, while much of the remaining squad will be selected through a set of objective criteria.
Short Track
Countries that qualify for the men's and/or women's relay will be able to earn up to five quota spots for that gender, while countries that don't qualify a relay team will be limited to a maximum of three quota spots for that gender. No more than three athletes from one nation can participate in any given individual event. Qualification will be based on four World Cup events scheduled between October and November.
U.S. Olympic Trials take place December 17-19 in Salt Lake City and will help determine which athletes are named to Team USA.
Skeleton
Countries can earn up to three quota spots in both the men's event and the women's event. The qualifying period ends on January 16, 2022, at which time quota spots will be allocated based on the IBSF ranking list from the 2021/22 World Cup season.
U.S. athletes will be nominated to fill those quota spots based primarily on the IBSF world rankings.
Ski Jumping
Quota spots will be allocated at the end of the qualifying period on January 16, 2022 and will be based on two seasons' worth of results. Countries can qualify up to nine athletes (five men, four women), though the number of athletes that can be entered in any event is four. Any nation that qualifies a minimum of two men and two women will be eligible to compete in the new mixed team event.
The winners of Olympic Trials (December 24-25) are guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team, while much of the remaining squad will be selected through a set of objective criteria.
Snowboarding
Each discipline within snowboarding has its own quota allocation process, but the qualification period for all disciplines ends on January 16, 2022. Countries can earn up to four quota spots in each discipline, but due to limits on overall roster size, countries may have to make decisions on which spots to fill and which to leave unused. Each nation can have up to 14 men and 14 women but is capped at 26 athletes total. Because slopestyle and big air will feature the same athletes, they are treated as one event for qualification purposes. Countries that qualify at least one man and one woman in snowboard cross are eligible to compete in the new mixed team event.
The U.S. has a selection process in place which features a combination of world-ranking lists and designated selection events. Up to three U.S. athletes can qualify automatically for each event through that selection process, and any remaining roster spots will be filled by discretionary selection.
Speed Skating
Quota spots will be allocated based on World Cup events scheduled for November and December. Countries can have up to nine skaters if they qualify for the team pursuit and earn the maximum number of quota spots in every individual event.
The criteria for making the U.S. team varies by event, but the full team will be named after Olympic Trials, which will be held January 5-9, 2022 in Milwaukee.