Sweden

Alpine skier Anja Pärson (AWN-yuh PEAR-sun), a five-time Olympic medallist (1 G; 1 S; 3 B) looks to add to her Olympic medal total in Vancouver. At the 2007 World Championships, Paerson won gold in the downhill, super-G and combined events while also earning a silver medal in the team event and a bronze medal in slalom. Paerson is currently ranked 3rd in the downhill standings and 2nd in the super combined standings heading into Vancouver, which she has announced will be her final Olympics.  

The Swedish cross-country ski team has a number of medal possibilities. The men's 4x10km relay team will look to improve on their bronze medal finish in Turin. Individually, Emil Joensson is looking to take gold in the Individual Sprint in his Olympic debut. On the women's side, Sweden will look to Olympic rookie Charlotte Kalla who had three top 8 finishes at the 2009 World Championships. Also look to Anna Olsson and Lina Andersson who were 2nd in the Team Sprint at the 2009 World Championships.  The ladies relay team will also contend for a medal, winning bronze at the 2009 World Championships.

In biathlon, Helena Jonsson is expected to dominate many of the events. Along with teammate Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek, the two have won 12 medals during the 2009-2010 World Cup season (as of Janaury 28, 2010). Olofsson-Zidek is married to Tom Zidek, an assistant coach with the Canadian biathlon team.

Lars Lewen will represent Sweden as men's ski cross makes its Olympic debut. Lewen finished third in the 2008-09 World Cup standings, and although he had a less successful season in 2009-10, he did win a World CUp silver medal in January 2010.

Sweden's hockey teams have a good chance at medals. The men's hockey team will look to defend its gold medal from Turin. Since 2006, Sweden posted a fourth place finish at the 2008 World Championships. Some of the biggest stars in the NHL, including Niklas Lidstrom and Markus Naslund, who spent 12 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, should represent Sweden.

As the defending silver medallists, the women's hockey team likely will contend for a podium finish in Vancouver. Sweden defeating the United States in 2006 during the Olympic semi-finals was one of the most important events in the history of international women's hockey as it was the first time that either the US or Canada had lost in an international competition other than to each other.

Jesper Björnlund enters the 2010 Olympic Games as the second hottest men's moguls skier in the World. Having never finished higher than 13th in the World Cup standings, Björnlund has earned the first three podium finishes of his career to start the 2010 season. He finished 5th at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.

The women's curling team will be a gold-medal contender, led by skip Anette Norberg who won gold in Turin.