It is Olympics time again, and soon some of the world’s best athletes will be schussing down the slopes, whirring through the air, zooming down the tracks and skating across the ice. This year, the Winter Games take place in South Korea for the first time.

Here is what you need to know about the coming events:

Q: When are the Winter Games?

A: Friday, Feb. 9, through Feb. 25. (A few preliminary events are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8.)

Q: Where is Pyeongchang?

A: The host city of the games is in the northeast part of South Korea, about 50 miles from the North Korean border.

South Korea’s winter sports resorts are not as well-established as ski hubs in Europe, North America and Japan, but the games could change that.

Q: What is the time difference?

A: The city is 17 hours ahead of Pacific time. That means many big events will be quite late for Americans: The men’s hockey final on Feb. 25 will finish at about 4 p.m. Korean time, or about 11 p.m. on Feb. 24 in Pacific time. Other events will be in prime time or a little after: Women’s figure skating on Feb. 23 ends about 9 p.m. on the West Coast.

Q: How can I watch?

A: In the United States on NBC, plus affiliated channels NBCSN and others. Mike Tirico will be the primary host, taking over for longtime anchor Bob Costas. Streaming at nbcolympics.com will be free and will include every event.

Q: Is Russia coming?

A: Yes and no. After evidence emerged of systematic state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, there were calls to ban Russia from Pyeongchang. In the end, there was a compromise ruling. Russian athletes who have a doping-free background can participate. But they will not formally represent their country; they will be listed as “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” The Russian anthem will not be played, the Russian flag will not be displayed, and Russian government officials will be barred.

Q: Is North Korea coming?

A: North Korea has agreed to send a delegation of athletes, as well as a cheering squad and a performance-art troupe. It will be the first time North Korea has participated in the Winter Games in eight years. Initial talk of North Korea hosting some events did not pan out. North Korea boycotted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Q: Where are the NHL players?

A: After five straight Olympics with National Hockey League players, the NHL decided not to participate this year. The league has long chafed at having to shut down its own season for three weeks for the games, and it has disagreed with the International Olympic Committee over who would pay for what. Players from the strong, mostly Russian, Kontinental Hockey League will be available, however, and most people think the “Olympic Athletes From Russia” are the big favorites as a result.

Q: Do the athletes get any money?

A: There is no prize money from the International Olympic Committee for winners. But many national federations give payments to athletes for winning medals. The United States Olympic Committee will award athletes $37,500 for winning a gold medal, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. Those prizes are up 50 percent since the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games two years ago.

Q: What are the new events?

A: Mixed doubles in curling, a 16-lap mass-start race in speedskating, a team alpine skiing event and “big air — a snowboarding event in which athletes launch off a jump, gaining enormous altitude, and perform tricks, which are judged.

Q: What is mass-start race?

A: A longish speedskating event in which the whole field of about 25 races together, rather than two at a time.

Q: How does the team skiing work?

A: Each nation sends two female and two male skiers down a short slalom course, racing head-to-head against an opponent. The team that wins more races, or has the lowest combined time, advances to the next round.

Q: What events are missing?

A: The parallel slalom snowboarding events, in which two snowboarders raced head-to-head, were dropped.

Q: Who decides what to add or drop?

A: The International Olympic Committee chooses which sports to include in the games. The committee looks for sports with worldwide popularity and tries to give different regions a few sports in which they can succeed.

Q: Are those lyrics I’m hearing?

A: Yes, for the first time singles and pairs skaters at the Olympics may compete to music with lyrics, not just instrumentals. But not all of them will do so. Some of the top skaters will be sticking with tried-and-true classical music and film scores.

Q: How fast do the athletes go?

A: Approximate top speeds: Downhill skiing: 90 mph. Bobsled: 90 mph. Luge: 85 mph. Skeleton: 80 mph. Ski jumping: 60 mph. Speedskating: 35 mph. Ski cross: 35 mph. Snowboard cross: 30 mph. The fastest winter sport, speed skiing, at up to 150 mph, is not in the Winter Olympics.

Q: What is the difference between pairs skating and ice dancing?

A: In both events, one man and one woman compete as a team. Ice dancing is more restrictive, barring many of the more athletic aspects of pairs skating, including jumping for more than one revolution and spinning for more than three revolutions.

Q: How does curling work?

A: In curling, teams slide stones down the ice toward a target. Players with brooms sweep the ice to try to slow or speed the stone so it lands where they want it to go.

After each team has bowled eight stones, the team with the stone closest to the center scores a point for every stone closer than the opponents’ closest (similar to bocce or lawn bowling).

Q: How does the biathlon work?

A: It is a cross-country skiing race, with some rifle shooting thrown in. Skiers periodically stop to shoot at a target. If they miss, they get a penalty, generally having to ski a short penalty loop.