A year after COVID-19 forced the postponement of Tokyo Olympics 2020, the countdown has reduced to just four days. While all contingents arrive at the capital of Japan, the traditional opening ceremony will take place this Friday, July 23.
Although fans cannot attend the global sporting event in stadiums, various broadcasters will broadcast the ceremony worldwide just like the rest of the Games. Here’s a quick guide for fans to catch the broadcast of the opening ceremony.
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How can fans in the western hemisphere watch the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics 2020?
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will kick off at 8:00pm local time. While the ceremony will be held in Japan’s National Stadium, it is scheduled to go on for a minimum duration of three hours.
In the United States, one can watch the ceremony unfold at 7:00am Eastern Time (ET) or 4:00am Pacific Time (PT). While NBC will broadcast the ceremony on TV, one can also watch it online on NBCOlympics.com or Peacock. In case one misses the early morning live telecast, NBC will have a re-run at 7:30pm ET or 4:30pm PT.
Reuters
Flags are hoisted atop of spectators’ seat at Aomi Urban Sports Park ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that have been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, July 19, 2021. REUTERS/Naoki Ogura
In the European region, Eurosport will broadcast the ceremony in most European countries at 12:00pm Central European Time (CET). However, France and Russia will not get coverage from Eurosport. While France Televisions will carry out this deed in France, Channel One will do the same in Russia.
In South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation holds the right to broadcast the Games. Hence, fans in the region can catch the ceremony on SuperSport at 1:00pm South African Standard Time (SAST). While various local broadcasters will telecast the opening ceremony in South America, fans can watch it live at 7:00am local time.
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Sony Pictures Networks to broadcast the ceremony in the Indian subcontinent
Indian fans can watch the opening ceremony on any of the Sony Ten channels, depending on their language preference and Doordarshan. In the Indian subcontinent, the ceremony will go live at 4:30pm Indian Standard Time (IST).
beIN Sports owns exclusive broadcasting rights for the Middle East and North Africa regions. Hence, Olympic fans in the Middle East can watch the ceremony begin at 3:00pm local time, while fans in North Africa can watch it around midday.
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The Seven Network holds broadcasting rights in Australia, which means Aussies can watch the ceremony on Seven Plus at 9:00pm Australian Central Time. In China, state owned network CCTV will broadcast the ceremony at 7:00pm local time.
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