Orange County’s Abruzzese Plays Hockey For U.S.A. In Olympics

SLATE HILL, NY — With COVID-19 protocols restricting spectators to a select few in the 2022 Beijing Olympics starting Friday, the only way to cheer on the one Winter Olympics athlete with ties to the Hudson Valley is from home.

The Olympic schedule shows competition beginning Wednesday, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony.

Nick Abruzzese, 22, of Slate Hill, is representing the United States in the Feb. 4-20 XXIV Olympiad.

He will be playing on the U.S.A. men’s ice hockey team.

Nick and the team will be taking to the ice at 8:10 a.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 10. They will be playing in the men’s preliminary round Group A against the People’s Republic of China.

See more Winter Olympics coverage on Patch.

The Beijing Games are the second Olympics competition to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were delayed until 2021, and athletes in Beijing will face similarly rigid protocols, as COVID-19 numbers remain high around the world.

Olympic organizers in mid-January suspended ticket sales to the general public, saying that selected groups of spectators would be invited on-site. International spectators cannot attend.

How To Watch The Olympics

NBCUniversal is the main broadcast partner and will offer 2022 Beijing Olympics programming across its cable, broadcast and digital platforms, including NBC, USA, CNBC and the Olympic Channel.

But what if you’ve cut the cord on cable? People with basic cable packages that include access to NBC can watch livestream coverage with the NBC Sports app.

Here are some other options:

• SlingTV’s Blue Plan includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympic coverage.
• Sling is offering a free trial of its Blue Plan, which includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympics coverage.
• fuboTV offers Olympic livestreams;
• Hulu + Live TV gives you access on TVs, tablets, laptops and other devices.
• NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, offers livestreaming via laptops, smartphones and smart TVs.

The Olympic athletes face a number of hurdles under a COVID-19 safety plan that includes daily testing of both athletes and workers. A positive test could sideline athletes, even if they’re no longer contagious, but Olympic organizers say the plan is flexible and allows for a case-by-case review on the need for isolation.