Cross country skiing has been part of the Winter Olympics since the very beginning at Chamonix in 1924. 

It's a discipline that has been traditionally dominated by Scandinavians, especially Norwegians, who stunningly failed to win a gold medal four years ago at the Turin Games.

Don't be surprised to see a different outcome in Vancouver, which features nine days of competition, culminating in the men's 50-kilometer mass start on the last day of the Games. There will also be six pursuit, sprint and relay events - throughout the fortnight.

Norway's Petter Northug Jr. is the top-rated male cross-country skier heading into the 2010 Games. He was not part of Norway's Olympic team four years ago, but captured three gold medals at the 2009 World Championships - the pursuit, relay and 50-k mass start - and has been favorably compared to the great Bjorn Dahlie, who won 12 medals, including eight gold, in his storied Olympic career for Norway.

Another Norwegian, Ola Vigen Hattestad, has become dominant in the men's sprint events. He won double gold at the 2009 Worlds and is the top-rated sprint cross country skier in the World Cup standings.

Estonia has become a force in cross country skiing. The tiny Baltic nation swept the classical events in Turin four years ago, as Andrus Veerpalu successfully defended his 2002 gold in the men's 15-k. Veerpalu won gold in the 15-k at last year's World Championships.

Other top medal contenders on the men's side include the Czech Republic's Lukas Bauer, who trails Northug in the World Cup standings and won a silver medal in the 15-k classical four years ago. Italy's Giorgio Di Centa won gold four years ago in the 50-k and is currently ranked in the top 10 of the World Cup standings, while Axel Teichmann and Tobias Angerer head a strong German team.

Americans have never fared well at the Olympics in cross country, winning just one medal - Bill Koch's bronze in the 30-k at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. Kris Freeman hopes to change that on the men's side.

Freeman will make his third Olympic appearance in Vancouver. He finished fourth in the 15-k classical at the 2009 Worlds, missing a bronze medal by just 1.3 seconds, and also had a fourth-place finish at the 2003 Worlds in the same event.

The host nation will also have an inspirational leader on the men's side in Brian McKeever, the Alberta native who is legally blind and will become the first athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Courtesy of the Sports Network