A Complete Guide to the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

After a year of delay, the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is fast approaching. But with social distancing and the absence of fans, the ceremony, just like the Games, will be very different.

When is the opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony of the Olympics is scheduled for Friday evening in Tokyo. But the 1 hour time difference with Tokyo means it will be Friday morning in the Eastern United States time zone.

How can I watch it and what time does it start?

NBC will broadcast the ceremony live in the morning starting at 6:55 a.m. EST, marking the first time the network has broadcast the event live in the morning. “Today” host Savannah Guthrie and NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico will host NBC’s cover. The ceremony can also be streamed on the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com

Thereafter, NBC will also air a special edition of “Today” which includes interviews with athletes, followed by an Olympic daytime broadcast.

As in previous years, the network will air a packaged prime-time version of the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday. Coverage will also be replayed overnight for viewers who missed previous broadcasts.

Who is leading the United States team in the Parade of Nations?

One of the highlights of the opening ceremony is the parade of nations. Four-time gold medalist Sue Bird from the United States and 2014 speed skating silver medalist Eddy Alvarez will serve as the flag bearers for the United States and lead the more delegation. of 230 American players. (There are 613 athletes in total in Team USA)

“It is an incredible honor to be chosen as the flag bearer for the American team,” Bird said in a statement.

Alvarez also said he was humbled by the selection. “It is an honor and a privilege to be named as one of the flag bearers by my fellow American team athletes for the Opening Ceremony. Being a first generation Cuban American, my story represents the American dream, ”said Alvarez.

What are the changes to the ceremony this year?

Athletes will march through a largely empty Olympic stadium in Tokyo, as spectators have been banned from most of the Games. The artists for this year’s lineup have yet to be announced. And NBC has no plans to add background noise that mimics fans in the stands throughout the Games, NBC Olympics executive producer Molly Solomon said on a call last week. This is a change from last year, when most broadcasters sent registered fans to games during the pandemic.

The opening ceremony comes at a time when matches are already underway in Tokyo and concerns about the virus are high. Tokyo’s infection rate peaked in six months. Added to this anxiety is the flurry of announcements of Olympic participants who have tested positive, including those inside the Olympic Village.

What else do I need to know?

Other news has also overshadowed the event in recent days.

Games organizers on Thursday fired Kentaro Kobayashi, the creative director of the ceremony, after video footage of him mocking the Holocaust in a comedic act in the 1990s was shown.

Mr Kobayashi’s dismissal follows the resignation of the composer who wrote the music for the opening ceremony, after extracts from interviews he gave in the 1990s admitting to having suffered severe bullying and abuse. classmates with disabilities have appeared on social networks.