This week’s opening spectacle — as well as the rest of the Olympic games — will look a little different from years past. Though Japan initially only banned outsiders from attending the Olympics, a spike in coronavirus infections in Tokyo led officials to cut a live audience altogether. When you’re abroad on business or vacation, chances are you’ll find the Olympics playing in the hotel lobby or on a barroom’s big screen. But if you don’t understand the language of the broadcast, you could find yourself lost. Accessing your home country’s online stream abroad isn’t so easy these days. When traveling, users often find their home subscription services blocked by the country they’re visiting. Whether your live stream of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony has been geo-restricted, or you don’t know where to find one, we’ll make sure you don’t miss a minute of this historic celebration.
Streaming the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony
With live fan attendance taken off the table, more sports fans will be watching the Olympic Games — and the opening ceremony — on television screens, laptops, and mobile devices than ever. Likewise, more people will be running into these cross-border blocks. When using a VPN, you’ll be able to unlock these digital gates and get to watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony in just a few minutes. First, we’ve compiled a list of the top English-language providers (most free) that are broadcasting the Olympics Opening Ceremony. If you’ve already got a subscription or want to sign up for one, all you need is the VPN. For a deep dive into watching the Olympic Games from anywhere in the world, check out our full article here.
How to Live Stream the Olympics Opening Ceremony with a VPN
So how do you clear these online roadblocks and access international content while abroad? The key is a VPN. We recommend NordVPN to live stream the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Premium VPNs unblock these digital barriers while providing users with unlimited bandwidth, top speeds, solid connections, advanced security, and a vast network of servers strategically placed across the globe. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting your VPN up and running so you can stream the opening ceremony.
Step-by-step guide on using a VPN to stream the Olympics Opening Ceremony
Can I Use a Free VPN to Stream the Olympics Opening Ceremony?
When users first try out VPNs, they often look to free VPN providers. While there are some good free VPNs out there, those do have limitations. This could be slow speeds, poor connections, or caps on bandwidth and encryption. Depending on where you are in the world, you could be getting up very early or staying up very late to watch Friday’s Olympics Opening Ceremony. The last thing you want is for your live stream to freeze up or your connection to cut out because you went with a subpar VPN. Oftentimes, free VPNs that provide limited bandwidth and encryption will stop the service to encourage you to purchase extra features. So while you might be able to watch the entire Olympics Opening Ceremony with your free VPN, your service could be interrupted if you decide to watch the competitions. These are “freemium” business models where you have basic services at the ground level and have to pay to get those extra features. A tip: If you want a free experience, you can take advantage of NordVPN’s free 30-day trial. This guarantees a premium experience, while also allowing you to watch the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in their entirety. Just don’t forget to cancel before your trial expires!
What Will the Opening Ceremony Look Like?
Throughout history, the Olympics Opening Ceremony has allowed host countries to showcase their culture while welcoming the world to the games. While the 2020 Olympic Committee has been tight-lipped about the specifics of this year’s spectacle — we only know the theme, United in Emotion, and can guess it will be connected to the pandemic — it will undoubtedly be much different than in past years. There will be a trimmed-down version of the Parade of Nations due to strict COVID-19 protocols in place for the Olympics. Only six delegates (three men and three women) are allowed to represent each country, and many athletes won’t be allowed to enter Japan until after the ceremony is finished. Although spectators aren’t allowed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Asahi Shimbun reported that there could be as many as 10,000 “special” fans in attendance. This would include members of the International Olympic Committee, Olympic sponsors, and foreign diplomats and dignitaries.
Schedule for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Here is the schedule for the opening and closing ceremonies. In the United States, NBC will provide a primetime rebroadcast at 7:30 pm (ET) on Friday, July 23. Below you’ll find the schedule for live coverage.
Who are the Olympic Flag-bearers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
The Parade of Nations will start with Greece, who started the Olympics, and end with host Japan. The rest of the countries will enter by their alphabetical order in the Japanese writing system. Want to know who some flag-bearers are in order of their entrance? Check out the list below:
