How to watch the Summer Olympics in Tokyo

The Detroit News

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be broadcast on NBC platforms with more than 7,000 hours of live coverage of all sports running Friday through Sunday, Aug. 8.

Be sure to visit detroitnews.com/sports/olympics for up-to-the-minute coverage of local athletes. Here is a guide to catching all the action:

Allison Schmitt will serve as a USA swim team captain at the Olympics for the second time.

How can I watch the games?

Local viewers can watch the game on NBC (Channel 4 in Metro Detroit). Some coverage will appear on sister networks USA, CNBC and NBCSN, as well as on NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Sports App or NBCSports.com, which can be accessed by signing in with cable or satellite provider login.

NBC’s streaming service Peacock has started some of its Olympic channels and will carry livestreams of most sports, including popular gymnastics and track and field. Peacock shows and event coverage all will be available free of charge except for men’s basketball.

Roku and NBCUniversal announced July 20 an all-new partnership that will allow streamers access to the Olympic experience in honor of the 2020 Tokyo Games on the Roku platform in the U.S.

Who is competing?

There are more than 25 local medal contenders representing the U.S. in the Olympic games. Some include men's basketball players Draymond Green from Saginaw and Devin Booker from Grand Rapids.

►Tokyo Olympics:The Detroit News' 5 athletes to watch

Top local U.S. medal contenders

Jerami Grant (men’s basketball)
Draymond Green (men’s basketball)
Devin Booker (men’s basketball)
Amanda Chidester (softball)
Hannah Roberts (BMX cycling)
Kate Nye (weightlifting)
Adeline Gray (wrestling)
Grace Luczak (rowing)
Ellen Tomek (rowing)
Sam Mikulak (gymnastics)
Allison Schmitt (swimming)
Katie DeLoof (relay prelim, swimming)
Patrick Callan (relay prelim, swimming)

Former Michigan track star and Ypsilanti native Tiffany Porter will be competing in her third Olympics, representing Great Britain. She'll compete in the 100-meter hurdles.

There are 26 athletes with local ties competing for Team USA:

Athletics/ Track & Field

Taylor Manson (East Lansing) – 4x400 relay
Anavia Battle (Inkster) – 200 meters
Steven Bastien (Saline, ex-UM) - decathlon
Mason Ferlic (ex-UM) – 3000m steeplechase
Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc) – 5,000m and 10,000m
Tori Franklin (Ypsilanti, ex-MSU) – triple jump
Donald Scott (Ypsilanti, ex-EMU – triple jump

Basketball

Draymond Green (Saginaw, ex-MSU)
Jerami Grant (Pistons)

Cycling

Hannah Roberts (Buchanan) - BMX Freestyle

Gymnastics

Sam Mikulak (ex-UM)
Alternate (will be in Tokyo as injury replacement): Cameron Bock (UM)

Rowing

Grace Luczak (Ann Arbor) – women’s four
Ellen Tomek (Flushing) – women’s quad sculls

Softball

Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, ex-UM)

Swimming

Annie Lazor (Beverly Hills) – 200 breaststroke
Allison Schmitt (Canton) – 200 freestyle, 4x100 free relay, 4x200 free relay
Catie DeLoof (Grosse Pointe, ex-UM) - 4×100 free relay
Patrick Callan (UM) – 4x200 free relay
Jake Mitchell (UM) – 400m freestyle
Coach: Mike Hilde (UM asst, diving)

Weightlifting

Kate Nye (Berkley) – 76kg
Sarah Robles (ex-NMU) – +87kg

Wrestling

Adeline Gray (Marquette, ex-NMU) – freestyle 75 kg
Helen Maroulis (Marquette, ex-NMU) – freestyle 57 kg
Alejandro Sancho (ex-NMU) – greco-roman 67kg

There are 19 athletes competing for other countries who have local ties:

Myles Amine (ex-UM) – San Marino – wrestling – freestyle 86kg
Abby Andrews (ex-UM) – Australia – women’s water polo
Felix Auböck (ex-UM) – Austria – swimming – men’s 400/1,500 freestyle
Mokhtar Al-Yamani (ex-UM) – Yemen – swimming - men’s 200 freestyle
Valerie Barthelemy (ex-UM) – Belgium – women’s triathlon
Uche Eke (ex-UM) – Nigeria - gymnastics – men
Siobhan Haughey (ex-UM) – Hong Kong – swimming – 100/200 free, relays
Maggie MacNeil (UM) – Canada – swimming – women’s (100 butterfly, medley relay, 4x100 free relay)
Stevan Micic (ex-UM) – Serbia – wrestling – men’s freestyle 57kg
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter - (Ypsilanti, ex-UM) – Great Britain - track – women’s 100 hurdles
Amanda Ridge (ex-UM) – Australia – women’s water polo
Jayde Riviere (UM) – Canada – women’s soccer
Cindy (Ofili) Sember - (Ypsilanti, ex-UM) – Great Britain - track – women’s 100 hurdles
Mariella Venter (UM) – South Africa – swimming – women’s medley relay
Moritz Wagner (ex-UM) – Germany – men’s basketball
Nick Willis (Ann Arbor, ex-UM) – New Zealand - track – mens 1,500
Mike Woods (ex-UM) – Canada – cycling – road race
Jamie Yeung (ex-UM) – Hong Kong – swimming – women’s medley relay
Shelina Zadorsky (ex-UM) – Canada - women’s soccer

When should I watch?

Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of U.S. EST, meaning morning and midday sporting events will be broadcast in the evening in Michigan. Evening events will take place in the mornings.

►Tokyo Olympics: The Detroit News' 5 events to watch

View a complete schedule here. Some significant competitions featuring local athletes:

Tuesday, July 20

Softball: USA vs Italy

Wednesday, July 21

Softball: USA vs Canada

Thursday, July 22

San Marino's flag bearer Myles Nazem Amine (L) and San Marino's flag bearer Arianna Valloni lead the delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. Amine is a 2015 graduate of Detroit Catholic Central High School who grew up in Brighton and was an All-American wrestler at the University of Michigan.

Rowing: women’s quad sculls heats

Friday, July 23

Opening Ceremony (7 a.m. ET)
Gymnastics men's team qualifying
Softball: USA vs Mexico
Rowing: women’s four heats

Patrick Callan is one of two Michigan swimmers competing in the Tokyo Olympics.

Saturday, July 24

Swimming: 4x100 freestyle relay women's heats/final
Swimming: 400 freestyle men's heats/final
Swimming: 100 butterfly women's heats/semi
Softball: USA vs Australia
Rowing: women’s quad sculls repechage

Sunday, July 25

Men's basketball: USA-France
Softball: USA vs Japan
Swimming: 100 butterfly women's final
Rowing: women’s four repechage

Monday, July 26

Gymnastics men's team final
Swimming: 200 freestyle women's heats/semis
Rowing: women’s quad sculls finals

Tuesday, July 27

Gymnastics women's team final
Swimming: 200 freestyle women's final
Swimming: 4x200 freestyle men's relay heats/final
Softball: USA medal round
Rowing: women’s four final

Sam Mikulak was the first University of Michigan male gymnast to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics in 2012.

Wednesday, July 28

Men's basketball: USA-Iran
Gymnastics men's all-around final
Swimming: 200 breaststroke women's heats/semis
Swimming: 4x200 freestyle relay women's heats/final

Thursday, July 29

Gymnastics women's all-around final
Track: steeplechase men's qualifying
Swimming: 200 breaststroke women's final

Friday, July 30

Cycling: BMX freestyle seeding
Track: 10,000m men's final
Track: 100m hurdles women's qualifying
Track: triple jump women's qualifying

Saturday, July 31

Men's basketball: USA-TBD
Cycling: BMX freestyle final
Track: 100m final women's
Wrestling: women’s 76kg quarters

Sunday, Aug. 1

Gymnastics individual finals (men/women)
Track: triple jump women's final
Track: 100m final men's – a.m.
Track: 100m hurdles women's final
Weightlifting: women’s 76kg final
Wrestling: women’s 76kg semis

Olympian Kate Nye trains in her garage in Berkley, Michigan, prior to winning a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Games in Toyko. The coronavirus crisis pandemic postponed the games until the summer of 2021 and forced many athletes to be creative as they continued their training, but in some Olympic sports, working from home is fairly routine.

Monday, Aug. 2

Men's basketball: USA quarterfinal
Gymnastics individual finals (men/women)
Track: steeplechase men's final
Track: triple jump men's qualifying
Track: 1500m men's qualifying
Weightlifting: women’s 87+kg final
Wrestling – women’s 76kg final

Tuesday, Aug. 3

Men's basketball: USA quarterfinal
Gymnastics individual finals (men/women)
Track: 5,000m men's qualifying
Track: decathlon men's
Wrestling: men’s Greco-Roman 67kg quarters/semis

Wednesday, Aug. 4

Track: triple jump men's final
Track: decathlon men's
Wrestling: women’s 57kg quarters/semis
Wrestling: men’s Greco-Roman 67kg final

Thursday, Aug. 5

Men's basketball: USA semifinal
Track: decathlon men's
Track: 1500m men's semifinals
Track: 4x400 relay women's qualifying
Wrestling: women’s 57kg quarters/semis

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) scored 26 in Sunday's 100-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls but was 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Friday, Aug. 6

Men's basketball: USA final
Track: 5,000m men's final
Soccer: women’s gold medal match

Saturday, Aug. 7

Track: 1500m men's final
Track: 4x400 relay women's final
Basketball: women’s gold medal game

Sunday, Aug. 8

Closing Ceremony (7 a.m. ET)

How are the athletes staying safe?

Two South African soccer players became the first athletes inside the Olympic Village to test positive for COVID-19, and other cases connected to the Tokyo Games were also confirmed Sunday, August 18, highlighting the herculean task organizers face to keep the virus contained while the world's biggest sports event plays out.

As many as 11,000 athletes will be traveling during a pandemic to reach the Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay where they will all live in close quarters for the next three weeks.

Those who test positive are moved to the "Tokyo 2020 isolation facility."

There are also concerns the estimated 85,000 athletes, officials, journalists and other workers coming into Japan from introducing fast-spreading coronavirus variants to a largely unvaccinated population already struggling with mounting cases.

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