Tokyo Olympics: dates, sports and more

The Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, are now scheduled for late July and early August. The time difference between Japan and the American countries may make it difficult to understand what will happen and when, but we are here to help.

When does the Olympics start?

The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday afternoon, July 23, Tokyo time. In the US, it will be at 7 AM ET and 4 AM PT.

Some football and softball matches will be held on July 21 and 22, and the shooting and rowing qualifiers on July 23. But the bulk of the sporting action begins on Saturday, July 24.

What is the time difference?

Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time. So when it’s night in Japan it’s morning in the United States and vice versa.

The time difference between Tokyo and Mexico City is 16 hours, 12 hours in Buenos Aires and 7 hours for Madrid.

Many of the main events will take place in the afternoon in Tokyo, so it will be early in the morning for American viewers. The exception is swimming, as the finals will be in the morning and therefore will be prime time in the United States.

In the past, US broadcaster NBC has booked some morning events to postpone them for prime time on television. But the series will broadcast practically all the events live for those who want to watch it in real time. In many cases, especially for West Coast viewers, watching the action live requires getting up early.

How can I watch the Olympics?

NBC says it is planning more than 7,000 hours of coverage on its stations, various cable channels owned by NBCUniversal, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

Dozens of other broadcasters own the rights to the games in other countries.

How is the programming of the Olympic Games organized?

After the opening ceremony, the games are held over 16 days. Some events, especially team events, span almost all games. Others cover shorter periods: swimming and gymnastics, for example, take place mainly in the first week, and athletics in the second.

When is gymnastics?

Let’s start translating the time zones: The men’s competition begins in the afternoon of July 23, US time, and the women’s competition the next day.

The men’s team final at 6 a.m. ET on July 26, and the women’s final at 6:45 a.m. ET on July 27.

The men’s singles final begins at 6:15 a.m. ET on July 28. Simone Biles is expected to compete for her second straight gold medal in the women’s final at 6:50 a.m. EST on July 29. (See? A very early start for West Coast fans.)

The individual finals are held by the machine on the following three days.

When do you swim?

The first final will take place at 9:30 PM ET on July 24th. Finals run every day until noon on July 31.

What is the date of the athletics?

Qualifiers begin in the afternoon of July 29 US time. The women’s 100m will be held on the morning of July 31 US time and the men’s 100m without retired Usain Bolt on August 1.

The marathon, which has moved to Sapporo, where it won’t be hot, will start at 6 p.m. EST on August 6 for women and August 7 for men.

What is the date of the basketball and football finals?

The men’s basketball final begins at 10:30 p.m. EST on August 6 and the final is 24 hours later. There’s also a new three-by-three basketball tournament in play, with the men’s and women’s finals on the morning of July 28, US time.

The Women’s Soccer Final will take place on August 5 at 10 PM ET. The men’s final is August 7 at 7:30 a.m. ET.

What time is tennis and golf?

Tennis runs from July 23 (US time) to August 1, with the singles and doubles finals from July 30 to August 1.

Men’s golf comes first, starting late July 28, US time, and ending in the early hours of August 1. Women’s golf runs August 3-7, US time.

What are some new sports?

Karate, surfing and climbing skiing They made their gaming debut, and baseball and softball are back after an absence of 13 years. There are also some new tests in some traditional sports.

When are new sports celebrated?

After three days of preliminary sessions, the surf finals are scheduled for July 27 starting at 7 p.m. ET. But due to the possibility of the competition being postponed due to wave conditions, there are additional days, and the event may end until August 1.

The sports climb will take place from 3 to 6 August. Exam skiing They will be held on July 24 and 25 (US time) and August 3 and 4. The Karate Finals will be held on August 5, 6 and 7.

When does the Olympics end?

Final exams will be held on Sunday, August 8, and the closing ceremony will be held on the same night at 8 PM in Tokyo, which is 7 AM EST and 4 AM PT.

When will the Paralympic Games be held?

The Paralympic Games will start on Tuesday 24 August and end on Sunday 5 September.

Where can I find the complete Olympiad program?

Hereon the Tokyo Olympics website. Events are shown in Tokyo time, so Here is a useful converter.

Victor Mather covers sports for The Times. For him there is no small sport.