After an uncertain year and much speculation, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has finally been confirmed as going ahead in the summer of 2021. Starting July 23rd, the top athletes from around the world will come together to compete across 25 different sports in hope of taking home a gold medal. Millions of viewers will eagerly watch the Olympics online to support their countries and be part of the most elite and important sporting event of the year.
Using a VPN, you can live to stream the Olympics without paying any extra cost for streaming services. Without a VPN, you may find that certain websites are restricted, forcing you to splash out for an expensive subscription from a streaming service. With VPNs, you have access to international channels that are streaming the Olympic events completely free. VPNs can bypass geo-blocking so you can watch the 2021 Olympics live and for free from anywhere in the world.
The 2021 summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo between July 23rd and August 8th
“The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself.” – Dawn Fraser (Four-time gold medal Olympic swimmer)
How To Watch The Olympics For Free
Here is a quick step-by-step guide that shows how easy it is to watch the Olympics for free using a VPN.
- Select A VPN – We suggest using NordVPN as this provider provides super-fast server speeds, resulting in the highest quality streams possible.
- Download And Open The App/Client – After you’ve decided which device to stream from, download the appropriate software and open up the client or app.
- Connect To A Server – You need to connect to a server in a country that’s broadcasting the Olympics for free. Below we have a list of the available free channels and their respective countries
- Start Streaming The 2021 Olympics – Now you just need to head to the channel that’s broadcasting the Olympics and then you can enjoy free live streams of all the events taking place. It’s as simple as that!
Channels Broadcasting The 2021 Summer Olympics For Free
- BBC iPlayer – United Kingdom
- 7plus- Australia
- ARD – Germany
- ZDF – Germany
- Canal+ – France
- Rai TV – Italy
- CBC – Canada
- TVNZ – New Zealand
Why Should I Use A VPN To Watch The Olympics?
Many channels across the world are broadcasting the Olympic events for free. However, these channels are usually region-locked to their own country, meaning that if you reach their website using an IP address that isn’t local, then you’ll be refused access to their content. This geo-blocking usually occurs from either licensing agreements or government regulations and is impossible to bypass without a VPN.
A VPN will mask your IP address and replace it with a new one from one of their global servers. Using this new IP address, you can trick websites into believing you’re accessing them from within their respective country. This way you can bypass geo-blocking from any country in the world, no matter where you are actually located.
With this in mind, you can watch any official channel that’s broadcasting the Olympics, such as the ones listed above. So, if you’re traveling abroad during the events and you don’t want to miss any of the action, then a VPN is an absolute must. (Just make sure to install the VPN client before leaving home as some countries block access to provider websites!)
VPNs, of course, have many other uses aside from bypassing geo-restrictions. Using a VPN, you’re protected from shady websites that try to slip malware into your device. Your data is encrypted in a secure tunnel so your online activity isn’t being tracked and you can browse the web and stream content anonymously. Additionally, many VPN providers have ad-blocking features that take care of annoying pop-ups and ads, speeding up your browsing and streaming experience.
Another great use of VPNs is their ability to solve throttling issues and improve your streaming experience. ISPs can throttle their users’ bandwidth to deliberately slow down their internet. This can happen to users during peak internet times in order to reduce congestion on the ISP’s network and is usually targeted at those streaming media. Since a VPN hides all your online activity, your ISP won’t be able to detect where your traffic is going and therefore cannot throttle your bandwidth. So you’ll be able to live stream the Olympics without having to worry about your connection being slowed down or interrupted.
Overall, VPNs have a variety of uses that come in handy especially when streaming a hugely popular event such as the Olympics. Using a VPN, you’re able to bypass geo-restrictions, block ads, hide from potentially harmful websites, and avoid bandwidth throttling to increase your internet speeds. All these combined results in a fantastic streaming experience so you can sit back and enjoy watching the Olympics for free without any extra hassle.
(Using a VPN, you can also watch the Formula 1 races for free via BBC iPlayer or Euro 2021 via ARD)
What Is The Best VPN For Watching The Olympics For Free?
There is a massive selection of reliable VPNs on the market right now, all with their own unique features and protocols. Different VPNs are best suited to different users, depending on their online habits and needs.
For example, if you travel often and enjoy using streaming services when abroad, then you need a VPN that has a wide array of servers across various countries. Alternatively, if security is especially important to you, then you need a VPN that has additional protocols which are in place to protect your data from being accessed by third parties and potential hackers. Generally, the top VPNs all have military-grade encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and a large range of global servers.
For us, the best VPN for streaming the Olympics, with an all-around fantastic selection of features, is NordVPN. This VPN provides some of the fastest server speeds available, meaning that you’ll experience little to no lag or buffering when streaming. NordVPN offers unlimited bandwidth so you won’t run into any data caps and can stream as much as you like. This provider also has a vast range of servers located all around the world, so you’ll have no trouble finding an available server to access channels broadcasting the Olympics for free.
NordVPN has CyberSec technology which automatically blocks users from dangerous websites that are known for hosting malware or spyware. This feature also hides unwanted pop-ups, auto-play videos, and other annoying adware to improve the load speed of websites and saves users’ mobile data. This can drastically enhance your streaming experience when watching the Olympics, especially if you are accessing certain channels or websites for the first time.
NordVPN also utilizes exceptional security features that protect its users’ privacy and keeps their data out of reach from third parties, hackers, and other online threats. This is especially important if you’re watching the Olympics abroad using public WiFi networks. These networks can be extremely unsafe and can put your sensitive data at risk of being exposed to cybercriminals. NordVPN’s AES with 256-bit encryption and extra security protocols ensures that your data is completely protected from any online threats that are lurking in public networks so you don’t have anything to worry about when streaming the Olympics or any other content from your devices.
All in all, NordVPN offers a variety of useful features that can make your streaming experience incredibly pleasurable and hassle/worry-free. You won’t have to miss out on a second of the action and can enjoy watching the 2021 Olympics while staying safe and protected.
2021 Olympic Schedule
Visit https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/ for the latest news, updates, and info!
| Sport | Discipline | Dates |
| Aquatics | Swimming | July 24 – August 1 |
| – | Diving | July 25 – July 28, July 30 – August 7 |
| – | Artistic Swimming | August 2 – August 4, August 6 – August 7 |
| – | Water Polo | July 24 – August 8 |
| – | Marathon Swimming | August 5 – August 5 |
| Archery | – | July 23 – July 31 |
| Athletics | Track & Field / Marathon | July 30 – August 8 |
| – | Race Walk | July 30, August 6 – August 7 |
| Badminton | – | July 24 – August 2 |
| Baseball | – | July 28 – August 5, August 7 |
| Softball | – | July 21 – July 22, July 24 – July 27 |
| Basketball | 3×3 Basketball | July 24 – July 28 |
| – | Basketball | July 25 – July 30 |
| Boxing | – | July 24 – August 1, August 3 – August 8 |
| Canoe | Slalom | July 25 – July 30 |
| – | Sprint | August 2 – August 7 |
| Cycling | BMX freestyle | July 31 – August 1 |
| – | BMX Racing | July 29 – July 30 |
| – | Mountain Bike | July 26 – July 29 |
| – | Road | July 24 – July 25, July 28 |
| – | Track | August 2 – August 8 |
| Equestrian | Dressage | July 24 – July 25, July 27 – July 28 |
| – | Eventing | July 30 – August 2 |
| – | Jumping | August 3 – August 4, August 6 – August 7 |
| Fencing | – | July 24 – August 1 |
| Football | – | July 21 – July 22, July 24 – July 25, July 27 – July 28, July 30 – July 31, August 2 – August 3, August 5 – August 7 |
| Golf | – | July 29 – August 1, August 4 – August 7 |
| Gymnastics | Artistic | July 24 – July 29, August 1 – August 3 |
| – | Rhythmic | August 6 – August 8 |
| – | Trampoline | July 30 – July 31 |
| Handball | – | July 24, August 8 |
| Hockey | – | July 24 – August 6 |
| Judo | – | July 24 – July 31 |
| Karate | Kata, Kumite | August 5 – August 7 |
| Modern Pentathlon | – | August 5 – August 7 |
| Rowing | – | July 23 – July 30 |
| Rugby | – | July 26 – July 31 |
| Sailing | – | July 25 – August 4 |
| Shooting | Rifle and Pistol | July 24 – July 25, July 27 – July 29, July 31 |
| – | Shotgun | July 25 – July 26, July 28 – July 29, July 31 |
| Skateboarding | Park | August 4 – August 5 |
| – | Street | July 25 – July 26 |
| Sport Climbing | – | August 3 – August 6 |
| Surfing | – | July 25 – August 1 |
| Table Tennis | – | July 24 – July 30, August 1 – August 6 |
| Taekwondo | – | July 24 – July 27 |
| Tennis | – | July 24 – August 1 |
| Triathlon | – | July 26 – July 27, July 31 |
| Volleyball | Beach Volleyball | July 24 – August 7 |
| – | Volleyball | July 24 – August 8 |
The 2021 closing ceremony will take place on August 8th
FAQS
The Olympics will begin on Friday, July 23rd, and ends on Sunday, August 8th.
A VPN can bypass geo-restrictions so you can access any channel from around the world that is broadcasting the Olympics for free.
Yes, you can watch the Olympics on any device that’s supported by your VPN. The top VPNs are all compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and a selection of other devices.
The server you’re connected to may be having issues. Try clearing your cookies before connecting to another server. Make sure your VPN is completely up-to-date and contact the provider’s customer support if the problem persists.
BBC iPlayer (UK), 7plus (Australia), ARD (Germany, Canal+ (France), Rai TV (Italy), CBC (Canada), & TVNZ (New Zealand) are all broadcasting the 2021 Olympics for free.
NordVPN has super-fast server speeds, fantastic geo-unblocking capabilities, many global servers, and impressive ad-blocking protocols, making it the best VPN for streaming the Olympics for free.
Nope! It’s 100% legal to use a VPN to watch the Olympics in most countries, including the UK and the US.