A viewer’s guide to Olympic events

updated 5:18 p.m. ET Aug. 6, 2008

The Olympic flame finishes its long journey to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games on Friday, marking the start of 16 days of competition involving thousands of athletes. With all the action, keeping track of what to watch for can be tough. This guide provides a brief summary of each major sport.

Archery
The men's and women's individual archery tournaments are single-elimination, with 64 archers each. If anyone is planning on starting an office pool, here is some friendly advice: South Korea is the dominant nation in Olympic archery. That's not to say nobody else has a chance. Italy's Marco Galiazzo is back after winning gold in 2004, and countrywoman Natalia Valeeva also figures to contend. The top American hopeful is probably Jennifer Nichols, and here's an added bonus for those who enjoy political intrigue. Taiwan has one of the world's top men's teams. The target includes 10 rings, each with a score between 1 and 10. During individual elimination rounds, archers shoot 12 arrows each. There also are team tournaments. In those matches, three archers per squad each shoot eight arrows. The highest total score wins a match.

Badminton
Lin Dan and his girlfriend Xie Xingfang will be in the spotlight in the badminton tournament. Both players are top-seeded and favored to win gold in men's and women's singles. China won three out of five gold medals at the Athens Olympics and will be out to at least match that tally in Beijing. Indonesia has the best chance of blocking a sweep of the gold medals by China. Taufik Hidayat has struggled with his form of late but is the defending champion in men's singles. Indonesia also boasts the top-ranked pair in men's doubles and mixed doubles. Players like Denmark's Tine Rasmussen in women's singles or Britain's Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms in mixed doubles are more than capable of pulling off an upset. Bob Malaythong and Howard Bach in men's doubles represent the best hope for the United States.

Baseball
Forget the seventh-inning stretch. If the inaugural World Baseball Classic two years ago is any indicator, the final Olympic baseball tournament — for now, at least — will be a colorful one. That could mean singing in the stands all game long, noisemakers, balloons bouncing through the crowd and more. United States manager Davey Johnson already has deemed Japan the "odds-on favorite" to capture gold, but everybody knows defending Olympic champion Cuba won't go away quietly and wants to make baseball's last hurrah a memorable event. The American roster, made up of top minor leaguers and one college star has plenty to prove, too. Team USA didn't even make the Athens Games four years ago after winning gold in Sydney in 2000. Baseball and softball go off the Olympic program for the 2012 London Olympics, so expect a special competition at Wukesong Stadium.

Special feature Olympic men's basketball teams NBCOlympics.com: Olympic men's basketball teams NBCOlympics.com

Basketball (men)
The United States, with a team featuring NBA stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, is favored to win its first gold medal in a major event since the 2000 Olympics. The Americans have changed the way they select their team, constructing a national team program with a pool of more than 30 players after losing three times and settling for a bronze medal in 2004. They had previously never lost in the Olympics since pros were allowed beginning in 1992. The U.S. team starts in a difficult group that includes 2006 world champion Spain and runner-up Greece, the team that stunned the Americans in the semifinals two years ago. Host China, with Yao Ming, and Germany, led by All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, also are in the group. Defending Olympic champion Argentina, three-time bronze medalist Lithuania and European champion Russia are the top teams in the other six-team group. The top four on each side advance to the quarterfinals.

Basketball (women)
The women's basketball team opens up its quest for a fourth straight gold medal against the Czech Republic. The Americans should be able to cruise through their group with the only real competition coming from host China. The Chinese team beat the Americans for the gold medal back in June at the Olympics test event. The medal round is when the fun really starts with potential a matchup with American turned naturalized Russian Becky Hammon. Not only would the U.S. be looking to avenge their loss to the Russians in the 2006 World Championships, but also the rivalry got a bit more exciting when South Dakota-born Hammon decided to play for Russia. Also lurking in the medal round is Australia with the world's best player in Lauren Jackson. The Aussies spent a week training at a boot camp hoping to win their first gold medal in the Olympics.

Beach volleyball
The party atmosphere at the beach volleyball venue will make California girls Kerry Walsh and Misty May-Treanor feel right at home. It won't hurt that they're also the defending Olympic champions and the dominant team on the domestic and international tours, having swept their Olympic qualifying events. If Walsh's injured shoulder holds up, they're the team to beat, with their toughest challenge to come from Brazilians Juliana and Larissa. Americans Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh could also contend for medals. American men Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser are also the favorites. But Brazil fields a pair of strong men's teams, too, and Americans Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal have shown they can compete with their countrymen, beating them the last time they met. Strong Chinese teams could get a boost from crowds pumped up by cheerleaders and rock music.

Boxing
Amateur boxing isn't about knocking out your opponent. It's all about hitting him early and often. The two-minute rounds are usually action-packed, with reflexes and discipline usually trouncing raw strength as the boxers strive to land bunches of scoring punches. The best amateur fighters generally come from Russia and Cuba, but several nations are sending boxers who could crash that podium parade in the most wide-open Olympic tournament in maybe 16 years. The improved U.S. team has two gold-medal favorites in Demetrius Andrade and Rau'shee Warren, and Luis Yanez has been reinstated to the American squad after getting kicked off for skipping three weeks of training. At 106 pounds, Yanez could meet China's Zou Shiming, who's expected to become a household name by winning the first boxing gold for the host country.

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