How to watch Tokyo Olympics 2020: Dates, times, TV channels, highlights and full list of sports
The 2020 Olympic Games are approaching and RadioTimes.com brings you everything you need to know including TV coverage and channel details, dates and more.
The Olympic Games are officially underway. The flame is lit and the sporting drama has started at pace with a host of events already in action.
Cycling and swimming are among the biggest events kicking off this weekend with athletics to wait for another week before exploding into action.
From archery to wrestling, we'll continue to update all of our Olympics content to help you watch every moment live on TV – and we'll bring you exclusive analysis from some of the biggest names in world sport in our Olympics on TV today guide.
There will be a total of 33 sports – including five new ones – and 339 events at 42 venues to sink your teeth into and we're here to help you make sense of it all!
RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how to watch the Olympics live on TV throughout the Games in 2021.
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How to watch the Olympics in UK
discovery+ is the 'streaming home of the Olympic Games' and will be showing over 3500 hours of live Olympics content on the platform, with all nine Eurosport channels and 55 live feeds bringing you all the action.
Their Entertainment & Sport annual pass is available now for just £29.99 with a three-day free trial.
Sky Q customers can sign up to discovery+ to access unrivalled coverage of Tokyo 2020 for 12 months at no extra cost, while Vodafone pay-monthly customers can enjoy discovery+ for six months at no extra cost.
BBC are set to screen over 350 hours of uninterrupted coverage live and free-to-air – a sensational result for viewers at home in Britain ready to roar Team GB on to victory from thousands of miles away.
BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website will be operation to show full coverage of many events throughout the duration of the Games.
How to watch Olympics highlights
There will be an abundance of highlights scattered throughout discovery+/Eurosport and BBC's Olympic coverage on their main platforms, meaning you'll barely miss a moment, whatever you decide to watch.
On top of sporadic highlights, you can tune in for the BBC's daily Today at the Games show, to be broadcast around 7pm or 7:30pm every night, as the competitions progress.
The biggest developing stories, Team GB achievements, world records and more will be showcased during the highlights show.
When are the Tokyo Olympic Games?
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will officially take place between Friday 23rd July 2021 and Sunday 8th August 2021.
However, a handful of events had already started by the time the opening ceremony kicked off at around midday UK time on Friday (23rd July) at the New National Stadium.
Softball and football kicked off early, on Wednesday 21st July and Thursday 22nd July, in order for both tournaments to be played in full, so you could dive into the sporting action before the flame was even lit!
Find out how you can watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics closing ceremony.
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
Where are the 2020 Olympic Games held?
The action is centred around Tokyo, Japan, though many sports are further afield due to space constraints and to allow the whole nation to enjoy the action.
The Tokyo Olympic Stadium is a brand new 68,000-capacity venue that will host the main athletics competitions and medal ceremonies. Expect to see more of the stadium as the Games progress.
More than 10 venues will be over five miles away from the Olympic Village while some football games and the marathon will be held in Sapporo in Hokkaido.
Read more: Are fans allowed at Olympics 2021?
Olympics UK TV schedule
Navigating the Olympics on TV is a tricky one given the range of sports, niche disciplines and sheer volume of action taking place every single day of the Games.
To help you try to make sense of it all, you can check out Olympics on TV today guide.
We will update it every day with the highlighted events, timings, TV channels and exclusive expert analysis from some of the biggest names in world sport over the coming weeks.
Sir Chris Hoy, Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Adlington, Matthew Pinsent and Dame Jess Ennis-Hill are among the stars we have to being their esteemed opinions, so don't miss what they have to say.
What sports are at the Olympics?
Check out the links below – coming soon – to see our comprehensive guides for every sport at the Olympics this year:
- Archery (July 23rd - 31st)
- Athletics (July 30th - August 8th)
- Badminton (July 24th - August 2nd)
- Baseball/softball (July 21st - August 7th)
- Basketball (July 24th - 28th)
- Boxing (July 24th - August 8th)
- Canoeing (July 25-30th; August 2nd-7th)
- Cycling (road, mountain, track, BMX) (July 25th - August 8th)
- Diving (July 25th - August 7th)
- Equestrian (July 24th - August 7th)
- Fencing (July 24th - August 1st)
- Field hockey (July 24th - August 6th)
- Football at the Olympics (July 21st - August 7th)
- Golf (July 30th - August 2nd; August 5th-8th)
- Gymnastics (July 24th - August 3rd; August 6-8th)
- Handball (July 24th - August 8th)
- Judo (July 24-31th)
- Karate (August 5-7th)
- Pentathlon (August 5-7th)
- Rowing (July 23rd-30st)
- Rugby (July 26th-31st)
- Sailing (July 26th - August 4th)
- Shooting (July 24th - August 2nd)
- Skateboarding (July 25-26th; August 4-5th)
- Sport climbing (August 3rd-6th)
- Surfing (July 25th - August 1st)
- Swimming (July 24th - August 1st)
- Table tennis (July 24th - August 6th)
- Taekwondo (July 24-27th)
- Tennis (July 24th - August 1st)
- Trampoline (July 30th-31st)
- Triathlon (July 26-27th; July 31st)
- Volleyball (inc. beach) (July 24th - August 8th)
- Water polo (July 24th - August 8th)
- Weightlifting (July 24-28th; July 31st - August 4th)
- Wrestling (August 1st-7th)
Radio Times Olympics Special issue is on sale now.
If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide. Visit our dedicated hub for more Sports news.
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.