How to Watch the 2021 Olympics

The action officially kicks off July 23.

How to Watch the 2021 Olympics

After a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Olympics 2021 is finally set to kick off at the end of July. And it's going to be epic.

After five years, we're about to see game-changing athletes including Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Allyson Felix, Naomi Osaka and Oksana Masters show up once again for the summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. The women of the WNBA will also be back competing for USA Basketball in pursuit of their seventh consecutive gold medal, and the World Cup champions and equal pay heroes of the US Women's National Soccer Team will also be back to prove their dominance…again.

There are also some fresh faces ready to rep red, white, and blue on the world's stage for the first time. You're obviously not going to want to miss America's fastest woman, Sha’Carri Richardson, face off against Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, otherwise known as the fastest woman alive. And there's also a slate of amazing women to watch in surfing and skateboarding, which are both making their Olympics debut.

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the Tokyo games this summer.

When are the Olympics 2021?

The Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to August 8. The Paralympics 2021 start on August 24 and run through September 5.

How to watch the summer Olympics

NBC is home to the U.S. broadcast of the games. You can catch all the action by tuning into your local station, or by streaming the Olympics on NBCOlympics.com, via the NBC Sports app, or on Peacock.

NBC will air its first-ever live broadcast of the opening ceremony on Friday, June 23 starting at 6:55 a.m. ET. (If you miss it live, don't worry—the network will be airing a replay starting at 7:30 p.m. EST.)

It will also be easier than ever to watch the Paralympic Games this year, with over 1,200 hours of action broadcasting on NBC and the Olympics Channel and streaming live on the NBC Sports app.

2021 Olympics schedule

Once the competition starts, there will be plenty to watch: the Tokyo Olympics will feature a record 33 competitions and 339 events.

For a full schedule of who is competing when, check out the official Olympics schedule and Paralympics schedule.

Some highlights to add to your calendar:

Swimmers will compete from July 24 through August 1.
The women's team gymnastics final will take place on July 27, followed by their individual events.
Track and field will start July 30.
The USA Women's basketball team will be gunning for their seventh gold starting on July 27th with the gold medal game scheduled for August 8.
Skateboarding will make it's Olympic debut this year running from July 26 to August 4.
Surfing, also new to the Olympics this year, will air between July 25 and August 1.
The US Women's National Soccer Team will be back on the field starting July 21 with the gold medal match airing August 6.
Paralympic track and field events will start on August 27 and run through September 5.