Where: Vancouver Olympic Centre

When: Men, Feb. 16-27, Women, Feb. 16-27

Men

Best of the U.S.: John Shuster is the only returning member to the U.S. team, which won the bronze four years ago. The U.S. finished fifth at the world championships; most expect them to finish in the middle of the pack.

Best of the rest: Curling is a niche sport almost everywhere but Canada. But the Brits won the world championship last year and could unseat the defending champions.

Prediction: 1. Canada. 2. Britain. 3. Norway.

Women

Best of the U.S.: Look for the women to also finish in the middle of the 10-team round-robin tournament.

Best of the rest: If the Canadians waver, the up-and-coming Chinese will be ready to pounce.

Prediction: 1. Canada. 2. China. 3. Sweden.

Figure skating

Where: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver

Men

When: Feb. 16, 18

Best of the U.S.: One of the strongest U.S. men’s team’s ever, with 2006 veterans Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, who finished fourth and fifth in Turin, and Jeremy Abbott, winner the of last two U.S. titles. Lysacek is the reigning world champion.

Best of the rest: Three former world champions from Europe (Evgeny Plushenko of Russia, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland and Brian Joubert of France), plus 2009 world silver medalist Patrick Chan of Canada and two strong Japanese, Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda, join the U.S. trio in making this an extraordinarily competitive event.

Prediction: 1. Plushenko, Russia. 2. Lysacek, U.S. 3. Takahashi, Japan.

Women

When: Feb. 23, 25

Best of the U.S.: For the first time since 1994, the U.S. women earned only two Olympic spots based on results at the previous year’s worlds. Rachael Flatt, 17, and Mirai Nagasu, 16, won those spots, but neither is favored for a medal.

Best of the rest: If Yuna Kim of South Korea skates error-free, this will be a walkover. Her rivals include two Japanese world champions, Miki Ando (2007) and Mao Asada (2008), the only woman here doing triple axels.

Prediction: 1. Kim, South Korea. 2. Ando, Japan. 3. Asada, Japan.

PAIRS

When: Feb. 14, 15

Best of the U.S.: Two teams from Florida are representing the United States. No chance for either to win the first U.S. pairs medal since 1988; if either Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett or Amana Evora/Mark Ladwig make the top eight, that would be a triumph.

Best of the rest: Germans Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, winners of the last two world titles, looked like a lock when the season began, but they struggled to second at recent European Championships. Could legendary Russian coach Tamara Moskvina have her fifth Olympic champion team in Yuko Kavaguti (known as Kawaguchi in her native Japan) and Alexander Smirnov?

Prediction: 1. Shen/Zhao, China. 2. Savchenko/Szoklowy, Germany. 3. Kavaguti/ Smirnov, Russia.

DANCE

When: Feb. 19, 21, 22

Best of the U.S.: The country that has won just two ice-dance medals in the nine Olympics the event has been on the program suddenly is a power. In Meryl Davis/Charlie White, the reigning Grand Prix champions, and Tanith Belbin/Ben Agosto, reigning Olympic and world silver medalists, the U.S. has a shot at its first Olympic gold.

Best of the rest: All eyes will be on reigning world champs Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin to see if they have changed their controversial “aboriginal” costume in the short program (one report has them doing so).

Prediction: 1. Davis/White, U.S. 2. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir, Canada. 3. Domnina/Shabalin, Russia.