WINTER OLYMPICS - Day 16
Coverage:
1800 GMT & 2145 GMT Alpine skiing - Men’s slalom - BBC Two and BBC HD (second run only) Red button and online
**2050 GMT ** Speed skating - Men’s team pursuit - BBC Two, BBC HD, Red button and online
**2130 GMT ** Snowboarding - Men’s parallel giant slalom final - BBC Two, BBC HD, Red button and online
**2300 GMT ** Curling - Men’s final: Canada v Norway - BBC Two, BBC HD, Red button and online
**Canada hope to shore up their place at the top of the medal table with seven golds to be won on the penultimate day of action in Vancouver on Saturday.**A repeat of their 7-6 win over Norway in the round-robin stage would wrap up the men’s Olympic curling title.
Before that the host nation are favourites to beat USA in the final of the men’s team pursuit speed skating.
Canada have a narrow lead over the USA and Germany at the top of the standings with a total of 10 gold medals.
On Friday speed skaterCharles Hamelin](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32693005/index.html), who had previously failed to live up to expectations in the 1000m and 1500m, found success in the 500m and 5000m relay to nudge Canada clear at the top.
Home fans will be looking for more success on the rink with their curlers, who came second to Great Britain in last year’s world championships, looking to go one better against Norway.Review Canada and Norway’s routes to the curling final
Their team pursuit relay team of Mathieu Giroux, Lucas Makowsky, Denny Morrison and Francois-Olivier Roberge have set Olympic records in the quarter and semi-finals in an impressive run to the final.
Check the full team pursuit start lists
Canada’s success contrasts with the previous two Olympics held in the country - the summer Games in Montreal in 1976 and Calgary in 1988 - during which the hosts failed to win a single gold.
The change comes after the Canadian Olympic Committee’s introduction of a training and funding programme called Own the Podium aimed at taking their team to the top of the medal standings in Vancouver.
Elsewhere Austria’s men will be determined to turn around their fortunes by claiming a first skiing medal on the final day of competition at Whistler with four front runners in the slalom on Saturday.
The quartet ofReinfried Herbst](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32688083/index.html),Marcel Hirscher](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32688084/index.html),Manfred Pranger](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32688097/index.html)andBenjamin Raich](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32688099/index.html)are highly fancied for medals.
Raich is defending Olympic champion, Pranger the reigning world champion and Herbst the World Cup leader.
Ed Drake](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32687922/index.html)andDave Ryding](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32687925/index.html)are the British contenders with qualifying starting at 1800 GMT.
Raich maintained that the atmosphere in the Austrian camp was still buoyant despite the team’s lack of success in Canada.
“We will go over things afterwards - in March. There is no point in doing so right now,” said Raich.
Slalom specialistsIvica Kostelic](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32687657/index.html)of Croatia andSilvan Zurbriggen](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32688056/index.html)will also be looking to claim a second medal after picking up silver and bronze respectively in the super-combined behind eventual gold medallistBode Miller](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32687990/index.html).
And Miller will also race in the slalom as he aims for a record fourth medal in Canada after also winning super-G silver and downhill bronze.Check the full slalom start list
Meanwhile, the men’s four-man bobbers will go for gold with their final two runs at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
Ahead of Canada’s meeting with Norway at 2300 GMT, Sweden will battle it out with Switzerland in the curling bronze medal match starting at 1700 GMT
Finland and Slovakia will also be contesting third place after semi-final defeats to USA and Canada respectively in the men’s ice hockey.
Norway’sMarit Bjoergen](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32689110/index.html)will go for her fourth gold of the games in the Women’s 30km mass start cross country classic.
Other medals on Saturday include the men’s parallel giant slalom, which includes GB’sAdam McLeish](http://winterolympics.external.bbc.co.uk/athletes/athlete=32691997/index.html), and women’s speed skating team pursuit finals.