After a year-long delay due to COVID-19, the Tokyo Olympics officially start on July 23^rd and will run until August 8^th. However, there’s still a couple of weeks until the event, and with certain obstructions to the Games popping up, such as the banning of spectators due to a rise in COVID cases in Tokyo, it’s an excellent time to go over the Tokyo Olympics—the games being shown and how the Olympics have adapted to COVID.

The Tokyo Olympics: Changes

The major change to the Tokyo Olympics will be the aforementioned banning of all spectators during the event. The reason for this ban is because Tokyo will be under a state of emergency throughout the event. Instead of delaying the event yet again, organizers will reduce the risk of infection during the Olympics by ridding the arenas of spectators.

Along with the ban, athletes will be tested for COVID every day of the event. However, athletes will not be required to receive their vaccinations, though the IOC expects most athletes to have received their vaccinations by July 23^rd.

The Tokyo Olympics: Sports Highlights

Not all changes to the Tokyo Olympics revolve around COVID, however. A few new sports and disciplines will be shown at the event, and they are definitely worth mentioning!

In total, six new sports will be broadcasted during the event, and out of those six, four will be making their debut.

Two of the “new” sports, baseball and softball, were previously cut from the Olympics in 2005 after a vote from the IOC. They will be making their long-awaited return in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The other four disciplines—skateboarding, karate, surfing, and sport climbing—are brand new to the Olympics program, and as a result, these four have garnered a lot of attention ahead of the Olympics. Whether they will stick around for future Olympics events will be determined by viewership and performance.

How to Watch the Tokyo Olympics Live

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are sure to be exciting. However, there’s one thing that many people have been asking: “How do we watch the games?” Similar to the Euros, there are multiple ways to watch the Tokyo Olympics, but most people will need to look towards streaming to watch the Olympics this year.

BBC

If you’re located in the UK, then you’ll be excited to learn that the BBC will be broadcasting the entire Tokyo Olympics, and it will be free to tune in! If you’re not located in the United Kingdom but want to watch through BBC anyways, you can always use a VPN service to connect to a server based in the UK.

Sling TV

Sling TV is an on-demand streaming television service that offers two streaming plans, Sling Blue and Sling Orange. Both have their fair share of channels that users can watch, and both include most of the major sports channels you will need to watch the Tokyo Olympics in its entirety.

Hulu Plus and YouTube TV

Hulu Plus and YouTube TV share similarities with Sling TV. The difference is that Hulu and YouTube only offer one plan with the ability to add individual channels at an extra cost.

Like Sling, both Hulu Plus and YouTube TV offer an array of sports channels that should be enough for those looking to watch the full Tokyo Olympics.

Peacock

One of the main purveyors of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is NBCUniversal, and they’ll be offering full access to the Olympics this year via their new streaming service Peacock. Peacock is a bit lackluster compared to other streaming services, but it’s a good way to watch the Olympics, and it’s cheap.

Conclusion

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are about to start up, and you will definitely not want to miss it! Whether you’re watching via Sling or through the BBC, you’re sure to get quality coverage of the games, including the six new ones!