The delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics will start on July 21, 2021, and they’ll feature a staggering 339 events over 42 venues.
The US holds the record so far, with 239 medals at a single Olympics, but we’ll see if any challengers show up this year. Below, you’ll find a list of the top sports and key dates to remember for each.
Athletics (Track and Field) — Track and field headline events will take place every day, starting on July 30 and ending on Aug 8.
Baseball and Softball — Softball’s gold medal game takes place on Tuesday, July 27, followed by baseball’s opening round on the 28th.
Baseball Bronze Medal Game — Aug 7
Baseball Gold Medal Game — Aug 7
Basketball — The US is going into the Olympics as the favorite in basketball, according to most predictions.
Men’s Basketball Bronze and Gold Medal Games — Aug 7
Women’s Basketball Bronze Medal Game — Aug 7
Women’s Basketball Gold Medal Game — Aug 8
Boxing — The US is sending a total of nine boxing athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, five men and four women.
Women’s Feather Final — Aug 3
Men’s Welter Final — Aug 3
Men’s Light Heavy Final — Aug 4
Men’s Feather Final — Aug 5
Men’s Heavy Final — Aug 6
Men’s Fly Final, Women’s Fly Final, Men’s Middle Final, Women’s Welter Final — Aug 7
Women’s Light Final, Men’s Light Final, Women’s Middle Final, Men’s Super Heavy Final — Aug 8
Fencing — You might be surprised to learn that the US is sending 12 men and 12 women to compete in fencing at the Tokyo Olympics.
Men’s Sabre Team Gold Medal Match — Jul 28
Women’s Foil Team Gold Medal Match — Jul 29
Men’s Epée Team Gold Medal Match — Jul 30
Men’s Foil Team Gold Medal Match — Aug 1
Gymnastics — Simone Biles is head and shoulders above most athletes in gymnastics, and she’s the reason many people will tune in to the gymnastics competitions this year.
Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual All-Around Final — Aug 7
Rhythmic Gymnastics Group All-Around Final — Aug 8
Women’s Final — Jul 30
Men’s Final — Jul 31
Soccer (Football) — The US is headed into these Olympics as a favorite in women’s soccer, with one of the most successful teams ever in the sport.
Women’s Bronze Medal Match — Aug 5
Women’s Gold Medal Match, Men’s Bronze Medal Match — Aug 6
Men’s Gold Medal Match — Aug 7
Swimming — US swimming phenom is likely to continue dominating the women’s 400 m, 800 m, and 1,500 m freestyle this year.
Swimming will have headline events every day from July 30 to August 1.
Tennis — Novak Djokovic is the current top-ranked player and likely favorite to take the gold in men’s singles, while the Australian Ashleigh Barty is leading the pack on the women’s side.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Jul 31
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Aug 1
Weightlifting — Laurel Hubbard is set to be the first trans athlete to participate in the Olympics this year.
Medal-bearing events for weightlifting will happen every day from July 24 to July 28, and from July 31 to Aug 4.
Men’s +109kg Group A will compete on Aug 4
Women’s +87kg Group A will compete on Aug 2
These highly anticipated games have a lot to prove, given the additional preparation time they enjoy.
