Viewer's Guide

By William Tynan

Unless noted, events are broadcast live. Times are EDT. NBC will air an hour of recaps weekdays at 4 p.m. Weather may influence schedules. M=men's competition, W=women's competition.

Thursday, Sept. 15

9 p.m.-11 p.m. Preview.

-- In Korea a special meal starts with a colorful tray of kujolpan, morsels of meat and vegetables to whet the appetite. This show is kujolpan for the 177 1/ 2-hour feast to follow.

Friday, Sept. 16

8 p.m.-Midnight Opening ceremonies.

-- A fleet of flags and a parade of nations, ancient drums and modern skydivers, the torch, the oath, 88 trumpeters, 144 robots, 2,400 pigeons, 13,600 athletes. Count 'em.

Saturday, Sept. 17

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Boxing prelims (tape). Basketball (M): Canada vs. Brazil.

| 7:30 p.m.-Midnight Diving (W): platform finals. Swimming (M & W): heats. Basketball (M): U.S. vs. Spain.

12:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Gymnastics (M): team compulsories.

-- Boxing prelims run through Sept. 29. U.S. Diver Michele Mitchell takes off against the favored Chinese. Swimmers Matt Biondi and Janet Evans begin their multiple-medal quests. Spain may be a spoiler for John Thompson's boys.

Sunday, Sept. 18

8 a.m.-Noon Gymnastics (M): team compulsories.

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Taped highlights.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Swimming (M & W): finals. Gymnastics (W): team compulsories. Basketball (W): U.S. vs. Czech., U.S.S.R. vs. Bulgaria.Volleybal l (M): U.S. vs. Neth.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Baseball: U.S. vs. Korea.

-- Biondi and Evans swim the 200-m freestyle and 400-m ind. medley, respectively. Though U.S. v-ballers and b-ballers should have little trouble with their opponents, the Soviet hoopsters will get pressure from Bulgaria.

Monday, Sept. 19

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Gymnastics (W): team compulsories.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Diving (M): springboard finals. Basketball (M): U.S. vs. Canada. Volleyball (W): U.S. vs. China.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Gymnastics (M): team optionals

-- Greg Louganis bids to duplicate his '84 springboard victory. The scrappy U.S. women volleyballers will probably succumb to defending Olympic champ China.

Tuesday, Sept. 20

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Gymnastics (M): team optionals, final rotation.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Swimming (M & W): finals. Basketball (M): U.S. vs. Brazil. Water Polo: U.S. vs. Yugoslavia.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Field Hockey (W): U.S. vs. Neth.

-- Expect the Chinese, East German and Japanese men to be chasing the Soviet gymnasts for team gold, Swimmer Tamas Darnyi of Hungary to be chasing his own world record in the 400-m ind. medley, and Biondi to be continuing his medal chase, in the 100-m butterfly. On the basketball court the U.S. takes on the 1987 Pan Am winner, Brazil, and its colorful colossus, Oscar Schmidt. In the water Terry Schroeder captains the U.S. against defending world and Olympics champ, Yugoslavia.

Wednesday, Sept. 21

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Gymnastics (W): team optionals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Gymnastics (M). ind. all-around finals begin. Water Polo: U.S. vs. Spain. Volleyball (M): U.S. vs. Argentina. Swimming (M & W): heats. Pentathlon concludes.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Gymnastics (M): all-around finals conclude. Equestrian (team and ind.): three-day event ends.

-- The Rumanian and Soviet women's gymnastic teams may be unparalleled. A determined Dmitri Bilozerchev will get fierce competition from his Soviet teammates for the all-around title. Though Spain boasts the world's best water-polo player in Manuel Estiarte, the U.S. should win. Biondi is at it again. The multidiscipline pentathlon concludes with a grueling 4,000-m cross- country run. A hold-your-breath show jumping competition climaxes the three-day equestrian event.

Thursday, Sept. 22

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Swimming (M & W): finals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Gymnastics (W): ind. all-around finals. Track (W): marathon, heptathlon Day 1.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (W): heptathlon continues. Track (M): heats in 100- m, shot put final. Track (W): 3,000-m heats.

-- Evans, Biondi and East Germany's Kristin Otto should be defending their world records in the finals of the 400-m freestyle, 100-m free and 100-m back. The biggest night for the U.S.S.R.'s Elena Shushunova and the other sprites who want to be the next Olga, Nadia or Mary Lou. Portugal's best, Rosa Mota, is favored to win the marathon. The unrivaled Jackie Joyner-Kersee sets out to break her own heptathlon record.

Friday, Sept. 23

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Swimming (M & W): finals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Track (W): heptathlon Day 2. Track (M): 100-m final, triple jump final. Gymnastics (M): ind. event finals. Rowing (M): single sculls final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Gymnastics (M): ind. event finals conclude. Track (W): heptathlon continues.

-- Look for the U.S. men, with the ubiquitous Biondi, to win the 4X100-m freestyle relay and for East German record-holder Silke Horner to take the 100-m breaststroke. Joyner-Kersee continues her heptathlon assault. Showdown: Carl Lewis and Canada's Ben Johnson, head to head in the 100-m dash. Willie Banks tries to hop-skip-leap through the 60-ft. triple jump barrier. Among the star gymnasts taking a final turn: China's Lou Yun (floor, vault), the U.S.S.R.'s Vladimir Artemov (parallel bars). 6-ft. 7-in. Finnish sculler Pertti Karppinen goes after an unprecedented fourth gold.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Noon-1 p.m. On tape: Track (W): heptathlon concludes. Cycling (M & W): 1,000-m sprint final. Swimming (M & W): finals.

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Features and more taped highlights.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Gymnastics (W): ind. event finals. Track (M): 400-m hurdles final, high jump final. Track (W): 100-m dash final. Diving (W): springboard final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (W): 3,000-m final.

-- The U.S.'s Connie Young could prevent East German Cyclist Christa Rothenburger Luding from becoming the first woman to go gold in both winter and summer. West Germany's Michael "the Albatross" Gross is favored to repeat in the 200-m butterfly; the East German women are expected to leave all other teams in their wake in the 4X100-m medley relay; and Matt you-know-who is swimming the 50-m freestyle. Edwin Moses defends his 400-m hurdles crown. Sweden's Patrik Sjoberg leads a half-dozen high jumpers who could clear a historic 8 ft. In the 100 m, flamboyant Flo-Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner) is expected to outdash and outflash '84 Champ Evelyn Ashford and the powerful East Germans. Chinese Diver Gao Min shows her stuff. In the wee hours: Mary Decker Slaney looks to change her Olympic luck.

Sunday, Sept. 25

8 a.m.-Noon Swimming (M & W): finals (tape).

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Features and more taped highlights.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Track (M): 800-m finals, hammer-throw finals. Diving (M): platform prelims.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (M): long-jump finals, 110-m hurdles finals.

-- World-Record Holder Tamas Darnyi shows his versatility in the 200-m ind. medley. Morocco's multidistance whiz Said Aouita takes on Brazil's '84 champ Joaquim Cruz and Britain's Steve Cram at 800 m. Overwhelming favorite Carl Lewis once again takes off after track and field's longest-standing record, Bob Beamon's 29-ft. 2 1/2-in. long jump. '84 Winner Roger Kingdom returns in the 110-m hurdles.

Monday, Sept. 26

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Basketball (M): quarterfinals (live and tape).

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Diving (M): platform finals. Basketball (W): semifinals. Volleyball (W): semifinals. Wrestling: freestyle prelims begin, schedule to be determined just before the Games start.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Water Polo: U.S. vs. Hungary. Equestrian: ind. dressage final.

-- Louganis could be going for his second gold of '88 and a rare fourth diving win overall. The Soviet and Yugoslav women will probably join Kay Yow's U.S. charges in the basketball semis. Americans to look for in the freestyle wrestling prelims include Gold Medal Favorite John Smith (world champ in the 136.5-lb. class), Mark Schultz (180.5 lbs.), Twins Jim (198 lbs.) and Bill (220 lbs.) Scherr, and Super Heavyweight Bruce Baumgartner.

Tuesday, Sept. 27

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Judo: 156.5-lb. final (tape).

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Basketball (M): semifinal. Volleyball (M): semifinals. Track (M): decathlon Day 1, pole-vault final, 400-m dash final. Tennis (M & W): semifinals. Equestrian: team jumping final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (M): decathlon Day 1 continues, 200-m final. Baseball final.

-- Mike Swain, the only world champ in judo the U.S. has ever produced, is a good bet for a gold. As with the women, it should be the U.S., U.S.S.R. and Yugoslavia in the men's basketball semis. Britain's irrepressible Daley Thompson takes to the track and field for the initial five decathlon events. If Soviet Star Sergei Bubka is in top form, the first 20-ft. pole vault could be in the air. Butch Reynolds, fresh from breaking the 20-year-old world record, could lead the U.S. in a 400-m sweep. Look for the U.S. baseball team, featuring Pitcher Jim Abbott, born with only one hand, to bring home a victory.

Wednesday, Sept. 28

7 a.m.-10 a.m. On tape: Basketball (M): semifinal. Boxing: quarter-finals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Weight lifting: super heavy weight finals. Boxing: semifinals. Basketball (W): final. Track (M): decathlon Day 2. Track (W): long-jump finals.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (M): decathlon continues.

-- The Bulgarians and Soviets dominate weight lifting generally and the super heavy-weights especially; tonight's battle of the behemoths could produce a new record. Joyner-Kersee will be stretching to outjump World Record Holder Galina Chistyakova of the U.S.S.R. and the G.D.R.'s Heike Drechsler.

Thursday, Sept. 29

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Volleyball (W): final. Track (M): decathlon concludes (tape). Track (W): 200-m final. Wrestling: freestyle finals (tape).

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Basketball (M): final. Track (W): high-jump final. Water polo: final round begins. Synchronized swimming: solo final. Tennis (M): singles final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Archery: individual finals.

-- The Chinese women, '84 gold medalists, are the volleyball favorites. The videotape will tell if Thompson has earned an unprecedented third decathlon gold. Flo-Jo faces a hot field in the 200 m. Barring the unforeseen, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. will be in a replay of the controversial 1972 basketball final. With tennis returning as a medal sport for the first time in 64 years, look for a couple of the usual suspects: Wilander and Edberg. A veteran and a newcomer spark the U.S. archery team: 31-year-old Darrell Pace, the only double-gold archer, and 14-year-old Denise Parker, winner of the '87 Pan Am Games.

Friday, Sept. 30

7 a.m.-10 a.m. Wrestling: free-style finals (tape). Table tennis (M & W): singles semifinals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Track (M): 1,500-m final. Track (W): 1,500-m final, 4 X 100-m relay final. Boxing: finals. Tennis (W): singles final. Canoe (M): K-1 1,000-m final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (M & W): Relay finals, cont.

-- Slam-bang table tennis from China, Sweden and Korea (catch those home-team fans). Aouita could be running away with one 1,500-m while Slaney battles the U.S.S.R.'s Tatiana Samolenko and Rumania's Paula Ivan in the other. U.S. Boxers Michael Carbajal (106 lbs.), Kelcie Banks (125), Todd Foster (139), Anthony Hembrick (165), Andrew Maynard (178), Ray Mercer (201) and Riddick Bowe (201+) are expected to punch out some metal tonight and tomorrow. Who will be fed to Steffi? Kayaker Greg Barton attempts to improve on his 1984 bronze.

Saturday, Oct. 1

Noon-1 p.m. On tape: Water polo: final. Soccer: final. Table tennis (M & W): singles and doubles finals.

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Features and more taped highlights, inc. wrestling finals.

7:30 p.m.-Midnight Boxing: finals. Volleyball (M): final.

12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Track (M): marathon.

-- A non-medal competition for viewers to judge: Which fans will be the noisiest, those watching the soccer (cheering perhaps for Italy, West Germany, Brazil) or those at table tennis rooting for Chinese Superstar Jiang Jialiang? Veteran Captain Karch Kiraly will lead the U.S. into what could be these Games' final confrontation with the U.S.S.R.: on the volleyball court. While most of the U.S. sleeps, Kenya's Douglas Wakiihuri and Djibouti's Ahmed Salah should be leading home a wide-open marathon field.

Sunday, Oct. 2

8 a.m.-Noon Features and taped highlights.

7 p.m.-11 p.m. Closing ceremonies (tape).

-- The finale: Anthems, pageantry, camaraderie, the flame extinguished and bye-bye till Barcelona.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

8 p.m.-11 p.m. Review.

-- In case you've been in a cave for the past 2 1/2 weeks.

With reporting by Brian Cazeneuve/New York