The Agitos outside the Olympic Stadium in the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan, Friday 20 August 2021.
With around 4,500 athletes from over 160 countries participating, the Tokyo Paralympics will be the biggest ever – and watching the action will be easier than ever.
Also delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paralympics kick off Tuesday, Aug. 24 with the Opening Ceremony, beginning at 7 a.m. ET on NBCSN. In all, there will be a record 1,200 hours of Paralympic coverage over the 13 days of the Games.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Paralympics:
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How can I stream the Paralympics?
Many Paralympic events will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. See the full schedule of live coverage and highlights here.
The first events that will be streamed live include:
- Tuesday Aug. 24, 7-10 a.m. ET: Opening Ceremony (Stream)
- Tuesday, Aug. 24, 10 p.m.-3 a.m. ET: Multiple sports (Stream)
- Tuesday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.-10:45 p.m. ET: Swimming heats (Stream)
- Tuesday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. ET: Women’s wheelchair basketball preliminary round (Stream)
- Tuesday, Aug. 24, 9 p.m.-2:25 a.m. ET: Women’s track cycling (Stream)
- Tuesday, Aug. 24, 10:30 p.m.-2:45 a.m. ET: Wheelchair rugby preliminary round (Stream)
- Wednesday, Aug. 25, 4-8:05 a.m. ET: Swimming finals (Stream)
- Wednesday, Aug. 25, 4:30-8:45 a.m. ET: Wheelchair rugby preliminary round (Stream)
- Wednesday, Aug. 25, 4:40-8:45 a.m. ET: Goalball preliminary round, including Brazil vs. USA (Stream)
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What is the TV schedule for the Paralympics?
NBCSN and Olympic Channel will air live coverage of the Paralympics throughout the Games, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Check out the full schedule here.
NBC will air an assortment of sports on the weekends during the Paralympics:
- Sunday, Aug. 29: 12-1:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Aug. 29: 7-8 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Sept. 4: 8-9 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Sept. 5: 7-9 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Sept. 11: 3-5 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 12: 1:30-3 p.m. ET
How many sports are in the Paralympics?
The Paralympics this year comprise 22 sports, from rowing and cycling to sitting volleyball and wheelchair tennis. Badminton and taekwondo have been added to the Paralympic program for the first time.
While many of the Paralympic sports are also contested in the Olympics, goalball and boccia are unique to the Paralympics. In goalball, each team consists of three players who are blind or vision impaired. The game is played on a court where players try to throw the ball – which has bells in it so players can track it – into their goal.
Boccia is similar to the lawn game bocce but is played on a flat, smooth surface where players aim to roll balls as close as they can to the target ball (or “jack”).
How many Americans are going to the Tokyo Paralympics?
Team USA has 234 athletes in its delegation for the Tokyo Games, including 129 returning Paralympians, plus six guides for visually impaired athletes.
