Olympic Games: They’re Almost Here! Here’s the Latest Tokyo 2020 Olympics News and How to Watch Live

The 2020 summer Olympics are set to begin next month, despite a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan. Initially set to take place in summer 2020, the event was postponed for a year due to the raging coronavirus. And yes, they’re still being called the 2020 Olympics — for marketing and branding purposes anyway — even though they are taking place in 2021.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s summer Olympics including how to watch the Games live!

The 2020 Olympics: When and Where? 

The Summer Olympics will take place in the Japanese city of Tokyo. Set to take place between 23 July and 8 August 2021, the Tokyo Olympics are less than a month away!

We’ve seen the Japanese capital lift COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place since late April in preparation for the event. If all goes ahead as planned, the Paralympic games will run from 24 August to 5 September.

However, there’s a bit of bad news for all enthusiastic Olympic fans out there.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, foreign spectators will not be allowed to travel to Japan and attend the games in person because entry to Japan by foreigners is currently banned. The 2020 Olympics opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will also be held behind closed doors.

But you don’t have to miss any of the action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. You can stream Olympics 2021 from anywhere in the world. More on that later in the article.

Which Countries Will Participate in The Tokyo Olympics (& Which One Won’t)?

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), more than 10,000 athletes from 206 nations across the globe are expected to participate in the 2020 Olympics. However, North Korea is the only country to announce that it will not participate in the upcoming summer Olympics to protect athletes from COVID-19.

The New Sports at the 2021 Olympics

A total of 33 games made the cut for inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics. We expect perennial crowd-pleasers such as track, swimming, and gymnastics to carry the day at the Tokyo Olympics. However, the 2020 Olympics will be introducing five new sports into the event. The sports that will be debuting at the Tokyo games are Karate, skateboarding, and surfing.

The other two, softball and baseball, will be returning to the Olympics after being cut from the program. Softball was introduced in the Olympics program at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. However, softball was removed from the Olympics for 2012 and 2016. So, if you are a softball fan, you will be thrilled to catch live softball games at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Here’s the schedule for those in the U.S.:

How to Watch the 2020 Olympics 

As stated earlier in the article, international fans will not be allowed to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games due to fears about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on the bright side, you’ll have plenty of options for watching the Tokyo Olympics at home.

In the United States, NBC Universal owns the broadcast rights for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

With the launch of NBC Universal’s new streaming platform, Peacock, softball fans will have more viewing options than ever before. You can catch live softball games on Tokyo NOW, a Peacock channel dedicated to the Summer Games.

There will also be significant coverage of the Tokyo 2020 events on traditional broadcast and cable TV, just like in past years.

After being postponed due to concerns around the global coronavirus outbreak, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are scheduled to kick off in a month. It’s an exciting time for softball fans around the world, you know, with the return of their favorite sport in the Olympics program.

Overseas fans may not be able to attend the games in person, but there are plenty of streaming options when it comes to the Tokyo 2020 games.