Are there really any more dazzling displays at an Olympic Games than what we get to witness during the gymnastics? From the grace and balance of the female competitors, to the out-and-out strength and power of the men, it’s a phenomenally impressive spectacle to tune into every four years (or so!). And to make sure that you don’t miss a single tumble, we’ve put together this guide on how to watch an Olympics gymnastics live stream – with free viewing options explained, too.
Artistic gymnastics requires athletes to execute coordinated routines across a variety of apparatus, with each piece of equipment testing the athletes’ unique skill set.
Gymnastics has featured in the Olympics since 1896, and women’s events joined the schedule in Amsterdam’s 1928 Games. Men continue to perform in six individual medalled events: floor, rings, vault, horizontal bar, parallel bars, and pommel horse. While the women compete for four medals across beam, floor, vault, and uneven bars. Both genders also participate in the medalled all-around and team finals.
Hosts Japan have previously dominated both gymnastic events for both genders, and picked up the men’s all-around title five years ago. But, just like in Rio where she picked up a remarkable four golds, expect all eyes to be on Simone BIles. She truly is a megastar of the sport and an icon around the world.
Keep reading to find out the key dates schedule of this year’s exercises as well as all the information you need to get a gymnastics live stream at the Olympics in 2021.
Olympics 2020 gymnastics: key dates and times
– Men’s team final: Monday, July 26 from 7pm JST / 11am BST / 6am ET
– Women’s team final: Tuesday, July 27 from 7.45pm JST / 11.45am BST / 6.45am ET
– Men’s all-around final: Wednesday, July 28 from 7.15pm JST / 11.15am BST / 6.15am ET
– Women’s all-around final: Thursday, July 29 from 7.50pm JST / 11.50am BST / 6.50am ET
– Men’s floor exercise and pommel horse finals: Sunday, August 1 from 5pm JST / 9am BST / 4am ET
– Women’s vault and uneven bars finals: Sunday, August 1 from 5.55pm JST / 9.55am BST / 4.55am ET
– Men’s rings, men’s vault, and women’s floor exercise finals: Monday, August 2 from 5pm JST / 9am BST / 4am ET
– Men’s parallel bars, men’s horizontal bars, and women’s balance beam finals: Tuesday, August 3 from 5pm JST / 9am BST / 4am ET
Free Olympics gymnastics live stream
The free, online Olympics Channel looks set to have highlights and other programming. But if you want more in-depth coverage, you’ll need to look at domestic broadcasters. Those living in the UK have the benefit of the BBC’s free-to-air coverage for example, with soooooo much being available on BBC iPlayer.
It’s a similar story in the likes of Australia (Channel 7 and 7plus online), Ireland (RTE), France (TF1) and, Germany (ARD and ZDF). We have further information about worldwide Olympics streams below.
How to watch your Olympics live stream when abroad
You should be able to find an Olympic Games stream (whether paid or free) in whatever country you happen to be in. But you may find that: a) your usual domestic coverage is geo-blocked when overseas; or b) that your place of work or college has blocked the ability to watch online where you are.
There’s a really easy way to solve those issues, thankfully. By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer, phone or tablet into thinking that it’s somewhere completely different. That way you can enjoy your usual coverage without having to find an illegal stream.
Use a VPN to watch Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games from anywhere
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Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…
1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster’s live stream – so if you’re from the UK, just head to BBC iPlayer
FREE Olympics gymnastics live stream in the UK
UK residents are spoilt for choice, with Olympic gymnastic events being aired across BBC One, BBC Two, and online at BBC iPlayer (including on laptops, mobile, games consoles, smart TVs and innumerable streaming devices) absolutely free!
For those who somehow find the BBC’s coverage not in-depth enough, then Discovery+ and Eurosport will have a whole lot more with the Eurosport Player streaming service costing £6.99 a month or £39.99 for the year.
If you’re out of the UK for the 2020 Games, make sure to install a VPN so you can continue accessing your home streaming services from anywhere.
How to watch Olympics gymnastics in the US with and without cable
Tune in to the Tokyo Games on NBC or NBC online if you’re in the States – though cable access will be required for both. You can see the entire NBC schedule on its dedicated calendar of events.
If you don’t have NBC as part of your cable setup, you can watch some action from the Games online via streaming service Peacock TV instead. There’s a free tier with loads of highlights and programming, but it looks like it’s stopping short of having much live coverage.
Live stream Olympics gymnastics without cable
Not got cable? No problems, but you’ll need to sign up for another service. Great value over-the-top streaming service Sling TV could be the answer. NBCSN comes as part of its $35 a month Sling Blue package. But it usually has a good deal on, like your first month for only $10 at the time of writing.
Alternatively, you could look at something like FuboTV. It carries loads more channels and is available to try with a free 7-day trial, but the normal monthly cost is much pricier starting at $64.99.
How to watch Olympics gymnastics in Canada
If you live in Canada and have access to cable, you have a couple of options for watching the Games—TLN, TSN, CBC, and Sportsnet will all be showing the 2020 Olympics.
If you don’t have cable, don’t worry—TSN, CBC, and Sportsnet all have standalone streaming services that you can subscribe to instead. CBC’s service is CA$4.99 per month, and you can also get your first month free. TSN costs CA$4.99 per day or CA$19.99 per month, while Sportsnet Now will set you back CA$19.99 per month.
Want to watch your coverage from abroad? Then don’t forget that using a VPN is a great way to watch coverage overseas.
How to live stream gymnastics at the Olympics for FREE in Australia
Gymnastic fans down under can head to Channel 7 or the online streaming service 7plus (available on any web-enabled device) to get your Olympic Games fix. That means you can watch via laptop, iOS, Android, Fetch TV, Apple TV, PS4, Chromecast and more.
Not in Australia? Use a VPN if you’re away from home, in order to tap into your local Olympics coverage.
How to watch Olympic gymnastics in New Zealand
New Zealand also has free Olympics coverage in 2021 thanks to broadcaster TVNZand its TVNZ OnDemand streaming service.
If that isn’t quite enough, then Sky Sport is also carrying the action, with a weekly pass costing from $19.99.
Other 2020 Olympics broadcasters around the world
It won’t come as a surprise that the Olympics is being shown in most corners of the globe – although with varying levels of coverage and without free broadcasters in some countries.
If you’re not in any of the countries mentioned above, then we’d suggest taking a look at the dedicated Wikipedia page of all of the world’s Olympic Games channels.
