Introduction
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are slated to begin on July 23rd, just one week from now, following a year-long delay due to COVID. The Games are going to work a bit differently than the previous Olympics. There will also be new sports, some making their debut and some returning after a long hiatus.
New and Returning Sports
There will be six new sports in the Tokyo Olympics. Two of these new sports, baseball, and softball will be returning after being taken off the Olympics roster in 2008. The other four are karate, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.
Skateboarding and surfing will return in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the rest will be left off the roster after the Tokyo Olympics.
Countries That Will Be Participating
Out of the 206 members (countries), 205 are qualified to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. However, North Korea will not be participating as of this April. These 205 counties will compete against each other in 50 disciplines in 37 venues.
New Restrictions
Tokyo is currently undergoing a state of emergency for COVID-related reasons, and this state of emergency has changed the way the Olympics will work. For example, Japan has banned spectators throughout the entire event, meaning the venues will be home to only the athletes.
Not only will spectators be banned, but athletes are required to quarantine themselves when they arrive in the country and undergo COVID tests every day of the event. However, it should be noted that athletes are not required to receive their COVID vaccines before the event.
How Fans Can Stream the Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics will be broadcasted in multiple countries throughout the event. However, it’s not clear how people can watch the entire event. Here are a couple of ways to watch the Tokyo Olympics.
On-Demand Streaming Services
Services like Sling TV and Hulu Live are on-demand streaming services that work similarly to cable packages. Subscribing to the service gives users access to certain channels, though they can add individual channels for an extra fee.
Both Sling and Hulu offer many sports-centric channels that will allow users to view the Tokyo Olympics: ESPN, ABC, NBC, etc. These services work on a subscription model, so users should cancel their subscription after the Tokyo Olympics ends, else they will be charged for another whole month.
National Broadcasts
The Tokyo Olympics will be broadcasted for free in certain regions. For example, viewers in the United Kingdom will view the entire Olympics through the BBC for free. In the United States, NBCUniversal will be broadcasting the event.
Fans should research what channels will be broadcasting the Olympics in their region. These broadcasts are typically free, and they don’t require users to create accounts or subscribe to anything. Fans can also work on getting a free VPN trial to access channels and streaming services not available in their country so they can watch the Olympics.
Conclusion
This year’s Olympics is sure to be an exciting one, so fans won’t want to miss it. With six new sports making their way to the field, along with sports streaming making it easier than ever to watch the Olympics, there’s no reason why a sports fan shouldn’t tune in when the games start on the 23rd.
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