The Tokyo 2021 has set sports fans and the media buzzing with excitement. Sports lovers from all over the world are waiting for this incredible old event as they do every fourth year. With the impressive performances by thousands of athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics four years back, fans cannot wait to see what the Tokyo Olympics have to offer. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the host country and dates of the 2021 Summer Olympics some time back and the excitement roused and now has reached an immense height with the dates of the event approaching close.
| Event | Olympics 2021 |
| Hosts | Tokyo, Japan |
| Date | 23rd July to 8th August 2021 |
| Teams | 206 |
| Live Stream | Watch Here |
Table of Contents
Summer Olympics 2021 Host Country & Venue
Tokyo, the Japanese capital city won the bid to host the 2021 Summer Olympic Games, starting from July through August, in 2021.
Out of the numerous bids for hosting the esteemed international sporting event, the IOC eventually short-listed Istanbul (Turkey), Madrid (Spain) and Tokyo (Japan) for the chance to host the 2021 Summer Olympics. It was a close competition between the three cities for the chance to host the 2021 Summer Olympics as the winner needed the normal 49 votes to establish a majority. The first balloting saw Istanbul and Madrid tied for second place. A run-off vote was held to decide the second place winner between Madrid and Istanbul. The final round of voting saw Istanbul and Tokyo competing for the chance to host the Summer Olympics 2021. Eventually, a final round of voting saw a 60-36 difference in Japan’s favor.
The IOC finally announced the winner Tokyo to host the Summer Olympics 2021 at its 125th IOC Session in 2013 in Argentina.
Tokyo Olympics 2021 Venue
A few months from today, Tokyo will be the destination for thousands of athletes and millions of sports fans from all over the world to participate and view the incredibly exciting 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics Games. Officials estimate around 600,000 visitors from abroad to visit the capital and its surrounding regions during the 2021 Summer Olympics. Japanese efficiency is set to make the event a pleasurable and comfortable event for athletes and sports lovers alike.
The 2021 Summer Olympics will be held majorly in two operational and thematic zones, “Heritage Zone” and the “Tokyo Bay Zone”. The Heritage Zone has significantly iconic venues that were part of the Tokyo 1964 Games and makes an incredibly popular choice for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics too. On the other hand, the Tokyo Bay Zone is known for its incredible modern innovative urban infrastructure.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has allocated a fund of $3.67 billion in total to cover the cost of expenses for hosting the entire Summer Olympic, including the opening and closing ceremony, which is always a grand spectacle every four years. Immense improvements have been made to public services, including airports, buses, metros/subways, roads and venues to ensure smooth and effective crowd management during the Olympics in 2021.
The Olympic Village called the Athlete’s Village for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is at 5 Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, spread across an immense 44 hectare and is situated on the popular well-developed waterfront district in the Japanese capital prefecture. The residential buildings are designed to host 18,000 athletes for the Olympic Games as well as an additional 8,000 athletes for the Paralympics Games. The newly-constructed and modern buildings will be later renovated accordingly and sold off as prime residential real estate once the 2021 Tokyo Olympics are concluded. The Athletes’ Village is situated ideally close to sports venues and offers comfortable choices for transport. The Athletes’ Village is only a 10-minute walk from the Kachidoki Station on Toei Oedo Line and around a distance of 20-minute walk from the Shintoyosu Station on the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Waterfront Line. It is highly advised for visitors to use public transport to get to and from the event venues and their hotels.
Some of the popular 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics venues include the Olympic Stadium, the Nippon Budokan, the Imperial Palace Garden, the Equestrian Park, the Tokyo Stadium, the Ariake Gymnastics Center, the Ariake Urban Sports Park, the Odaiba Marine Park, Sea Forest Waterway, the Tokyo Aquatics Center, the Makuhari Messe Hall A and B, the Enoshima Yacht Harbor, the Fuji International Speedway, , the Sapporo Dome, the Saitama Stadium and the International Stadium, Yokohama, among many other modern and conventional sports venues in and around Tokyo.
List of Countries Participating in Olympics 2021
The previous Summer Olympics Games, the 2016 Rio Olympics, saw an immense increase in popularity and participation from countries. Although there were barely a handful of countries and their athletes taking part in the initial stages of the Olympics when it was started in the modern era, the popularity has increased remarkably with participation and numbers of sporting events and athletes growing larger and larger. According to the IOC, the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics witnessed 11, 238 athletes, which included 6, 179 male and 5,059 female athletes participating and representing over 205 countries from all over the globe.
Although the number of countries qualifying and participating in the Olympics Games has dramatically increased over the years, several countries, such as Australia, France, Greece, Switzerland and Great Britain have been a permanent fixture ever since the ancient Olympics Games were revived at the end of the 19th century. These countries are also among the most medal winners in the past Olympics Games as well. However, the excitement and fervor for the Olympics Games are not limited to fans from the participating countries as the Summer Olympics is probably one of the few sporting events that enjoy a worldwide fan base.
List of Sports in Tokyo Olympics 2021
The Summer Olympics Games are truly the world’s largest sports gathering in the modern world. Ever since its inception in the beginning of the 19th century, there have been at least 42 different sports that were part of the Summer Olympics Games. The three recent Olympic Games (of 2000, 2004 and 2008) had 28 fixed sports of choice. However, as softball and baseball were removed from the list, there were 26 total sports in the 2012 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The list of sports and events for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Games were finalized by the IOC executive board and announced in June of 2017.
The 2021 Tokyo Games will showcase 339 events in 33 different sports and spread across 55 disciplines. The Tokyo 2021 will also see an addition of 5 new sports and have 15 additional events.
Prior to the main games, there ar4e 56 test events planned to be held for the 2021 Olympics and Paralympics Games in Tokyo, starting in June 2019 and ending a year later, in June 2021 before the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Games. Numerous events from these are from the core-25 sporting events covered in the Summer Olympics however the new sports added to the 2021 Tokyo Games will be properly tested before the start of the actual competition.
Check out below the number of events covered under the various disciplines which are part of the official Summer Olympics Games:
Aquatics –
Baseball –
- Baseball (1 event)
- Softball (1 event)
Basketball –
- Basketball (2 events)
- 3×3 Basketball (2 events)
Cycling –
- BMX Freestyle (2 events)
- BMX Racing (2 events)
- Mountain Biking (2 events)
- Track Cycling (12 events)
- Road Cycling (4 events)
Equestrian –
- Dressage (2 events)
- Jumping (2 events)
- Eventing (2 events)
Gymnastics –
- Artistic (14 events)
- Trampoline (2 events)
- Rhythmic (2 events)
Karate –
- Kata (2 events)
- Kumite (6 events)
Canoeing –
Volleyball –
Others –
- Archery (5 events)
- Athletics (48 events)
- Badminton (5 events)
- Boxing (13 events)
- Fencing (12 events)
- Field Hockey (2 events)
- Football (2 events)
- Golf (2 events)
- Handball (2 events)
- Judo (15 events)
- Modern Pentathlon (2 events)
- Rowing (14 events)
- Rugby sevens (2 events)
- Sailing (10 events)
- Shooting (15 events)
- Skateboarding (4 events)
- Sport Climbing (2 events)
- Surfing (2 events)
- Table Tennis (5 events)
- Taekwondo (8 events)
- Tennis (5 events)
- Triathlon (3 events)
- Weightlifting (14 events)
How to Watch Summer Olympics 2021 Live Stream
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics is yet another installment in the series of quadrennial sporting events that is followed fervently by millions upon millions of sports lovers from all over the world. The Tokyo Olympics is set to be televised for viewers in almost every country worldwide. As has been the case earlier too, the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) shall be delivering the live video feed to numerous popular TV and online sports channels.
The IOC is the rightful owner of all TV, internet, radio and mobile platforms that show the Olympic Games live or recorded. The Broadcasting Services allot TV, radio and online slots for live streaming the numerous events as part of the Olympic Games to the leading TV, radio and other media companies. The online, TV and radio broadcasting revenue is an important source of income for the IOC as it supports funding the:
- Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games
- The growing global popularity of the Olympic Games
- Increase in promotion and representation of the Olympic Games and the Olympic values
The main aim of allotting broadcasting rights to a maximum number of media outlets as possible is because the Olympic Charter states that “The IOC takes all necessary steps in order to ensure the fullest coverage by the different media and the widest possible audience in the world for the Olympic Games.”
Hence, it will be possible for fans, including you, to witness the thrilling and exciting Olympic Games from the comfort of your home, on your TV, computer/laptop, and mobile phones and even on the radio.
Let’s check how to watch Summer Olympics 2021 live on TV in the popular viewer regions across the world:
United States
NBC Universal has acquired the official rights to broadcast the Summer Olympics 2021 live for TV viewers across the US. If you are a subscriber to NBC, contact the service provider to learn the offers and rates to view the incredible event live from the comfort of your home.
China
CCTV the state-owned TV network has gained the official rights to air the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games all across mainland China and its territories. Viewers in China can tune to CCTV and watch the numerous events being played live on their TV sets.
Russia
Match TV, a popular Russia based free-to-air sports TV channel is in line to get the rights to transmit the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics in real-time for the millions of viewers in the country. Match TV subscribers will be able to enjoy watching the Summer Olympics easily with Match TV.
India
The Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) won the official broadcast rights to air the 2021 Summer Olympics in India as well as the Indian subcontinent.
United Kingdom
BBC Eurosport is the official broadcaster of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for its viewers in the United Kingdom. BBC Eurosport subscribers can view the live TV broadcast on their TV sets at home in the UK.
Japan
The Japan Consortium, the joint venture between the country’s official TV channel and several other broadcasters, has won the rights to broadcast the 2021 Tokyo Olympics live to its subscribers on their TV sets.
Watch Tokyo Olympics 2021 Live Stream Without Cable
The past few years have witnessed an immense increase in the number of mobile smartphones all over the world. The number of smartphone users has increased across the world in the recent past. Hence, there has been a significant shift of a large portion of viewers from the traditional TV and radio broadcasts to watch the Olympic events by live streaming them on their internet devices, including laptops and computers, apart from mobile phones. Major online streaming platforms in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and other countries with larger viewership audience have partnered with the official TV broadcasters in the regions to provide limited but sufficient coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympics with the millions of online watchers.
Watching the 2021 Summer Olympics by live streaming over the internet, rather than on the TV or radio, has become extremely trendy today. With the rise in mobile smartphone users, official broadcasters and popular online live streaming platforms are racing to provide the best coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympics at Tokyo to users across the world. It is easy and convenient to switch to any of the below online platforms and watch the 2021 Tokyo Olympics live stream without the need for a TV set.
Check out how you can watch Tokyo Olympics 2021 live stream without cable:
Fubo TV
If you live in an area with Fubo TV availability, then simply tune into the online channel and catch the 2021 Summer Olympics events live without cable on your smartphones, tablet phones, computers and laptops in the US. Fubo TV has limited coverage rights from NBC, the official TV broadcasters of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the US and will offer all major events to view over the internet.
Sling TV
Sling TV also has limited coverage rights to broadcast the 2021 Summer Olympics online with partnership from NBC, the official TV broadcasters. Sling TV is an efficient and affordable way to enjoy live stream viewing of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics online.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is another popular online streaming platform that offers limited coverage of the major sporting events that are part of the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. If you want a free and convenient way to catch the thrilling Olympic events online, tune into YouTube TV for live streaming without cable.
Hulu TV
Hulu with Live TV is another excellent online streaming platform to catch the incredible 2021 Summer Olympics live on your internet devices, including smartphones and computers to watch the major events from the comfort of your home or outside.
How & Where to Listen to Olympics Coverage on Radio
The Tokyo Organization Committee (TOC) for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games started accepting bids from small and large global radio broadcasters for the rights to live commentary for the 2021 Summer Olympics. Official radio stations with a credible license are to be verified and provided with special radio equipment that prevents harmful interference.
Radio broadcasters who wish to air the 2021 Tokyo Olympics live on their radio channels are in the process of bidding for the rights. The Spectrum Application guide provided by the OBS on its official website details the criteria for successfully bidding to air live radio broadcast of 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Tokyo authorities are already in the process of coordinating with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that radio broadcasting right winners will be allotted specific radio spectrum for convenient and interruption-free radio commentary on the numerous sporting events live for their listeners across the world.