Merijn Scheperkamp will compete in the 500 meters in stage 8 at the Olympic Games in Beijing on Saturday against the Chinese Tao Yang. For the 21-year-old Dutch sprinter it is his debut at the Games. Kai Verbij takes on Russian Ruslan Murashov in the next stage. Thomas Krol comes into action early in the 500 meters. The winner of Olympic silver in the 1500 meters will compete in stage 3 against Jeffrey Rosanelli from Italy. The 500 meters in the National Speed Skating Oval in the Chinese capital was supposed to start at 9.53 am Dutch time, but there is a 10-minute delay due to a mechanical defect in the skating hall.