How to watch the Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay: Live Stream, Key dates for Tokyo Olympics, and more

By Mary OmatigaMar 24, 2021, 2:43 PM EDT

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With four months to go until the start of the Tokyo Games (July 23rd across the networks of NBC), the Olympic Torch relay begins tonight, March 24 (although it will be Thursday, March 25 in Japan). The relay lasts 121 days. It will begin in Fukushima, with the Japanese team that won the 2011 Women’s World Cup serving as the first torchbearers. After the Grand Start ceremony in Fukushima, the relay will make its way to Tochigi and then on to Gunma. Along the route, the torch will pass through all 47 of Japan’s prefectures, from Okinawa to Hiroshima to Hokkaido before arriving in Tokyo, the Olympic host city, on July 9. Click here for the complete route of the Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay.

The flame arrived in Japan on March 20, 2020, at Matsushima Airbase in Miyagi and has been protected at the Olympic Museum in Tokyo, located across the street from the Olympic Stadium. The torch is colored sakura–a shade of pink–and gold, symbolizing the cherry blossom, a representation of the Japanese spring.

How to watch the Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay:

The Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay will be available for live stream on the Olympic Channel.

When are the Tokyo Olympics?

The Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The rescheduled Games will run this summer from July 23rd to August 8th, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on July 23rd.

When are the Tokyo Paralympics?

The Tokyo Paralympics run from August 24th to September 5th. NBCUniversal will air a record 1,200 hours of Paralympic coverage from the Tokyo Games, including the first NBC primetime broadcasts in history.

Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony, NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock has a channel dedicated to classic Olympic and Paralympic moments called “Road to Tokyo.” Stream peacock this summer to get in the spirit with iconic Olympic highlights celebrating stars like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, and LeBron James.

What COVID-19 regulations will be in place at the Tokyo Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee and the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics have released a series of playbooks spelling out safety measures for athletes, officials, and broadcasters in Japan. These playbooks are expected to be updated as the situation with the virus evolves between now and the Opening Ceremony on July 23rd.

Pierre Ducrey, the IOC’s Olympic Games operations director, said that, at a minimum, athletes will be tested every four days in Japan under the current measures. They will also be tested before leaving for Japan and upon arrival.

“For all Games participants, there will be some conditions and constraints that will require flexibility and understanding,” IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said. “We are providing the main directions at this stage, but naturally don’t have all the final details yet; an update will be published in the spring and may change as necessary even closer to the Games.”

Earlier in March, Tokyo 2020 also announced that overseas spectators will not be allowed at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. In a statement, the organizing committee said: “Based on the present situation of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely that entry into Japan will be guaranteed this summer for people from overseas. In order to give clarity to ticket holders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Which U.S. Athletes are Qualified for the Tokyo Olympics?

Many of Team USA’s biggest stars, including Noah Lyles, Simon Biles, and Katie Ledecky, will still need to qualify for Team USA at their Olympic Trials, but nearly 100 American athletes have already qualified for the team.

Athletes have qualified in sports including fencing, sailing, and softball. In track and field, three men and three women qualified for the Olympic marathon in February of 2020.

What is the time difference between the United States and Japan for Tokyo Olympics?

During the Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo will be 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, 16 ahead of the Pacific Time Zone. An event that starts at 10:00a local time Monday will be at 9:00p EDT Sunday night.

Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz exit French Open, leaving no U.S. men

Associated PressJun 3, 2023, 7:35 PM EDT

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Frances Tiafoe kept coming oh so close to extending his French Open match against Alexander Zverev: 12 times Saturday night, the American was two points from forcing things to a fifth set.

Yet the 12th-seeded Tiafoe never got closer than that.

Instead, the 22nd-seeded Zverev finished out his 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory after more than 3 1/2 hours in Court Philippe Chatrier to reach the fourth round. With Tiafoe’s exit, none of the 16 men from the United States who were in the bracket at the start of the tournament are still in the field.

“I mean, for the majority of the match, I felt like I was in control,” said Tiafoe, a 25-year-old from Maryland who fell to 1-7 against Zverev.

“It’s just tough,” he said about a half-hour after his loss ended, rubbing his face with his hand. “I should be playing the fifth right now.”

Two other American men lost earlier Saturday: No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz and unseeded Marcos Giron.

No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina beat Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, and Nicolas Jarry of Chile eliminated Giron 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-3.

There are three U.S women remaining: No. 6 Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens and Bernarda Pera.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

It is the second year in a row that zero men from the United States will participate in the fourth round at Roland Garros. If nothing else, it stands as a symbolic step back for the group after what seemed to be a couple of breakthrough showings at the past two majors.

For Tiafoe, getting to the fourth round is never the goal.

“I want to win the trophy,” he said.

Remember: No American man has won any Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open. The French Open has been the least successful major in that stretch with no U.S. men reaching the quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003.

But Tiafoe beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the U.S. Open along the way to getting to the semifinals there last September, the first time in 16 years the host nation had a representative in the men’s final four at Flushing Meadows.

Then, at the Australian Open this January, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton became the first trio of Americans in the men’s quarterfinals in Melbourne since 2000. Paul made it a step beyond that, to the semifinals.

After that came this benchmark: 10 Americans were ranked in the ATP’s Top 50, something that last happened in June 1995.

On Saturday, after putting aside a whiffed over-the-shoulder volley — he leaned atop the net for a moment in disbelief — Tiafoe served for the fourth set at 5-3, but couldn’t seal the deal.

In that game, and the next, and later on, too, including at 5-all in the tiebreaker, he would come within two points of owning that set.

Each time, Zverev claimed the very next point. When Tiafoe sent a forehand wide to end it, Zverev let out two big yells. Then the two, who have been pals for about 15 years, met for a warm embrace at the net, and Zverev placed his hand atop Tiafoe’s head.

“He’s one of my best friends on tour,” said Zverev, a German who twice has reached the semifinals on the red clay of Paris, “but on the court, I’m trying to win.”

At the 2022 French Open, Zverev tore ligaments in his right ankle while playing Nadal in the semifinals and had to stop.

“It’s been definitely the hardest year of my life, that’s for sure,” Zverev said. “I love tennis more than anything in the world.”

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2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkJun 3, 2023, 7:30 PM EDT

At the French Open, Iga Swiatek of Poland eyes a third title at Roland Garros and a fourth Grand Slam singles crown overall.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Swiatek, the No. 1 seed from Poland, can join Serena Williams and Justine Henin as the lone women to win three or more French Opens since 2000.

Having turned 22 on Wednesday, she can become the youngest woman to win three French Opens since Monica Seles in 1992 and the youngest woman to win four Slams overall since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Men’s Draw

But Swiatek is not as dominant as in 2022, when she went 16-0 in the spring clay season during an overall 37-match win streak.

She retired from her last pre-French Open match with a right thigh injury and said it wasn’t serious. Before that, she lost the final of another clay-court tournament to Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, is her top remaining challenger in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula, the highest-seeded American man or woman, was eliminated in the third round. No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who has three wins over Swiatek this year, withdrew before her third-round match due to illness.

No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, is the best hope to become the first American to win a Grand Slam singles title since Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open. The 11-major drought is the longest for U.S. women since Seles won the 1996 Australian Open.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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