Winter Olympics: The couples spending Valentine's Day at Beijing 2022

How are you spending Valentine's Day? A romantic meal, grabbing last-minute flowers from the petrol station — or perhaps just treating it like 'any other day'?

What about spending it at the Winter Olympics? That's the reality for some sporting couples, though celebrating might not be on the agenda right now.

BBC Sport takes a look at the athletes experiencing Beijing 2022 alongside their significant others.

Cornelius Kersten and Ellia Smeding have made British history in Beijing as the first long track speed skaters to represent Team GB at an Olympics in 30 years.

Smeding finished 27th in the women's 1500m, while Kersten was 19th in the men's equivalent and 25th in the 500m.

The couple, who are based in the Netherlands and have been together for more than three years, set up their own coffee business to fund their way to the Games.

But how will they mark Valentine's Day? There isn't a huge amount to do in the athletes' village but...«We might go on a KFC date or something,» said Smeding, while Kersten told BBC Sport: «Maybe we'll get a romantic haircut together in the mall here.»

Who said romance was dead?

Alpine skiers Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Mikaela Shiffrin started dating in 2021, but are having to spend the Olympics apart.

With the pair from different countries — Norway and the United States respectively — and such tough Covid restrictions in place, Kilde and Shiffrin have resorted to FaceTime to stay in touch and are only meeting for dinner in the athletes' village.

«It's a tease,» said Kilde. «You see her but you can't really touch her, can't really be with her that much. But it's really nice to have her here.»

It has been a Games of mixed fortunes for the couple. While Kilde has won alpine combined silver and super-G