Canada and US rivalry heats up Beijing Winter Games

BEIJING : As sporting rivalries go the United States and Canada does not reach the intensity of Argentina and Brazil but when it comes to Winter Olympics the North American neighbours turn the heat up.

Canada may be out-matched by the United States at the Summer Olympics but punches above its weight in the winter when medals are decided on the snow and ice.

For Canada, which brands itself as a winter sports nation, the 2022 Beijing Winter Games represent another opportunity to put it to their rivals to the south.

Data analysis Nielsen's Gracenote are predicting a tight tussle between Canada and the U.S. with both collecting 22 total medals at the Feb. 4-20 Games.

The Americans are tipped to edge the Canadians in the final rankings on seven gold to six to take fourth spot on the table behind Norway, Germany and the Russian Olympic Committee.

At the previous three Winter Games Canada has won more gold than the U.S., which is the way the medals table is tabulated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

With a bit of creative accounting the U.S. spin puts it ahead in 2010 and 2014 pointing to the total medals count, including a then record 37 collected at the Vancouver Winter Games.

So a line in the snow has been drawn for North American bragging rights in Beijing with many of the top medal prospects for both countries showing up in the same events.

For Canada two medals are more important than all others - men's and women's ice hockey.

Since women's hockey became part of the Olympic programme in 1998 Canada and the U.S. have claimed every gold.

The U.S. took the first in Nagano and the last at the Pyeongchang Winter Games. Canada swept the four in-between.

It would be considered one of the Beijing Games major upsets if the two