How to Watch the Tokyo Olympics Live in the USA

Jul 23, 2021; Tokyo, JAPAN; A general overall view of the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, the venue for swimming and diving during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Network

Photo Courtesy: Kirby Lee -- USA Today Sports

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How to Watch the Tokyo Olympics Live in the USA

Over the course of the swimming competition at the Tokyo Olympics, which runs from July 24 through August 1, races will be shown on the networks of NBC. The swimming finals were moved to the morning for Toyko (10:30 a.m. local time) in order to accomodate the NBC primetime broadcast, and finals will be featured beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET every evening in the U.S. (the date will be one day earlier than in Japan). Dan Hicks, Rowdy Gaines and Michele Tafoya will be the primary announcing crew for NBC, with Michael Phelps and Elizabeth Beisel also contributing analysis for select races.

Coverage of preliminary heats will be shown live daily on the USA Network beginning at 6 a.m. ET (while the session begins at 7 p.m. in Japan). The heats will also be replayed with a tape delay during NBC’s daytime coverage on the broadcast network. Patrick Kinas and Amy Van Dyken will be the announcing team for the heats.

All sessions will be streamed on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app for phones and tablets. This streaming will likely require logging in with credentials for your television account. For more information, check out NBC’s post entitled “How to Watch Swimming at the Tokyo Olympics.”

Below is the full finals schedule for the Tokyo Olympics, and remember that each day’s finals begin at 10:30 a.m. local time, or 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT in the USA. These are the races that NBC has promised will be shown live in primetime across the nation. Day one’s finals will take place on Sunday, July 25, in Japan, so tune in to watch those races on Saturday, July 24, if you are in the U.S. Each other day of finals will be shown one day earlier than the listed date on the schedule below.

Day one (Sunday, July 25): men’s 400 IM, men’s 400 freestyle, women’s 400 IM, women’s 400 freestyle relay

Day two (Monday, July 26): women’s 100 butterfly, men’s 100 breaststroke, women’s 400 freestyle, men’s 400 freestyle relay

Day three (Tuesday, July 27): men’s 200 freestyle, women’s 100 backstroke, men’s 100 backstroke, women’s 100 breaststroke

Day four (Wednesday, July 28): women’s 200 freestyle, men’s 200 butterfly, women’s 200 IM, women’s 1500 freestyle, men’s 800 freestyle relay

Day five (Thursday, July 29): men’s 800 freestyle, men’s 200 breaststroke, women’s 200 butterfly, men’s 100 freestyle, women’s 800 freestyle relay

Day six (Friday, July 30): women’s 200 breaststroke, men’s 200 backstroke, men’s 200 IM, women’s 100 freestyle

Day seven (Saturday, July 31): men’s 100 butterfly, women’s 200 backstroke, women’s 800 freestyle, mixed 400 medley relay

Day eight (Sunday, August 1): men’s 50 freestyle, women’s 50 freestyle, men’s 1500 freestyle, women’s 400 medley relay, men’s 400 medley relay

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Sara

2 years ago

This is such a helpful article. It helps to have this so we can use it as a reference tool.

Elizabeth Haman

2 years ago

Thank you so much… with the time differences and so many channels and streaming methods.. THIS is so SO helpful!

2 years ago

So they changed how Athletes compete in their events in an international competition for the sake of the US Tv audience. Wow. That’s ok. The rest of us didn’t want to watch it anyway…..

Andrea Prezioso

2 years ago

This is very helpful. I don’t understand why if Rowdy and Dan are covering the same early races here(6am USA Network) in the afternoon why we have to listen to Amy Van Dyken doing the color. Her partner is fine but she is the worst color announcer I have ever heard in swimming. She is so annoying and her analysis is horrible. I wish I could watch on TV and listen on the radio. NBC should dump her!

Coach K

2 years ago

Reply to Andrea Prezioso

I agree Amy is not great. She sounds like a triathlete, the way she offers analysis.

Judi

2 years ago

Reply to Coach K

Amy terrible giving her comments. I can’t stand her voice. It seems like she doesn’t know what she talking about when she explaining a dive. She acts like she miss know it all. She just keeps going on and on and on. I thought by the way she explained the dives she had no experience, but to find out that she was a huge Olympic winner from the 90’s. NBC you picked the wrong, wrong, wrong commentator. I do like the man. Whenever he can get a word in!!!