How to Watch the Olympics with VPN Software
The Summer Olympics happen every four years – or they should do anyway. In July, what should have been the 2020 Olympics will begin. Postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the best of the best from around the world will convene to battle it out over who will be Olympic champion in their track or field sport. The Summer Olympics are a much anticipated event at the best of times, but after a year’s delay, millions of people around the world are waiting for this upcoming event that will be broadcasted internationally.
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Tokyo Summer Olympics Schedule
- Where: Tokyo, Japan
- When: Wednesday July 21 – Sunday August 8, 2021
- Opening Ceremony: Friday July 23, 2021
- Closing Ceremony: Sunday August 8, 2021
Olympics 2021 Schedule – Days 4 to 7
| 26 MON | 27 TUE | 28 WED | 29 THU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3x3 Basketball | ☆ | ☆ | ★ | |
| Archery | ★ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Artistic Gymnastics | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
| Badminton | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Baseball/Softball | ☆ | ★ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Basketball | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Beach Volleyball | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Boxing | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Canoe Slalom | ★ | ★ | ☆ | ★ |
| Cycling BMX Racing | ☆ | |||
| Cycling Mountain Bike | ★ | ★ | ||
| Cycling Road | ★ | |||
| Diving | ★ | ★ | ★ | |
| Equestrian | ★ | ★ | ||
| Fencing | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
| Football | ☆ | ☆ | ||
| Golf | ☆ | |||
| Handball | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Hockey | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Judo | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
| Rowing | ★ | ★ | ||
| Rugby Sevens | ☆ | ☆ | ★ | ☆ |
| Sailing | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Shooting | ★ | ★ | ☆ | ★ |
| Skateboarding | ★ | |||
| Surfing | ☆ | ☆ | ★ | ☆ |
| Swimming | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
| Table Tennis | ★ | ☆ | ☆ | ★ |
| Taekwondo | ★ | ★ | ||
| Tennis | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Triathlon | ★ | ★ | ||
| Volleyball | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Water Polo | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ |
| Weightlifting | ★ | ★ | ★ | |
| 26 MON | 27 TUE | 28 WED | 29 THU |
☆ Competition Event
★ Medal Event
Why use VPN to Watch Olympics
Despite being open to anyone who can qualify for an event, watching the Olympics is not necessarily something that is available to everyone all over the globe. Depending on the country you live in, you may not be able to access footage of a particular event, or the Olympics as a whole.
It could be that the country you are in censors the Games so that that country’s population cannot watch the Olympics. Or it could be that a televisor only broadcasts the Games in a specific country for copyright reasons. So, if you are not in that country, you are geo-restricted and blocked from watching the broadcast. In fact, even short videos posted on internet sites and on social media may be subject to copyrights and therefore be restricted in several countries.
To get around these issues, you can use a VPN to watch the Olympics from anywhere in the world. A VPN masks your IP address and therefore your location so that you can appear to be in a country where a particular Olympic games broadcast can be watched.
Recommended VPNs to live stream the Olympics
It is all very well knowing that a VPN could help you get around geoblocking restrictions to watch the Olympics, but you also need to know what makes a good VPN. If you do not, you are in danger of signing up to a VPN subscription that hinders your enjoyment of watching the games.
Our top requirements for a trustworthy and dependable VPN so you get the best VPN possible are:
- Military grade encryption technology
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Quick and easy installation
- Large, global network of servers
- No logs policy
- Fast connection speeds
- Good value for money
- Excellent customer service
- Additional security features
That sounds like a lot of must-haves, but there are plenty of VPN providers that manage to offer this in a standard subscription package. Our favorites are:
ExpressVPN
We’re big fans of ExpressVPN at SecureThoughts. The lightning-fast connection speeds are perfect for streaming videos, so you never have to suffer through any buffering or pixelation. Plus, it has an absolutely huge range of servers in a large number of countries. The result is you can connect to a server in any country you need, depending on the broadcaster you want to tune into and their allowed locations. Finally, it does not keep any logs and has a broad range of some of the best security features around.
NordVPN
NordVPN is a great option for those who want a VPN to watch Olympics coverage. That’s thanks to the wide range of server country locations as well as one of the largest numbers of servers in general. It works brilliantly with most devices and operating systems, meaning that everyone in your household will be able to connect to a NordVPN server seamlessly. Plus, with their quick speeds, watching videos of the Olympics will be a trouble free affair.
Surfshark
While many people initially sign up to SurfShark for their highly competitive pricing plan, they stay due to the quality of the VPN software provided. It is very easy to use and install while also having top-notch encryption, meaning that you are safe from prying eyes. Plus, with its no logs policy, there will be no record of your usage. It is quick too, making it a good option if you want to keep watching a lot of geo-restricted video content even after the Olympics have finished.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost has been providing VPN software for years now. As a stalwart of the VPN market, it has continually developed its product to ensure that it remains one of the best. Thanks to a vast amount of countries with one of its servers, getting around geoblocking restrictions is a breeze. Plus, all those servers are optimized so that speeds are fast and perfect for watching video content. It uses the best encryption technique possible by employing 256-bit AES encryption.
How to install and use a VPN to watch the Olympics
We like to see VPN software that is easy and straightforward to install and set up. If it is complicated, users simply will not use it unless they have a degree in Computer Science. And using a VPN is so crucial – not only to watch the Olympics but to keep your data usage private. Here is our guide on how to install a VPN to watch Olympics coverage wherever you are in the world.
Step-by-step guide on how to install the software to stream Olympics (with VPN software)
Many will want to (and need to) install a VPN on a mobile device as well as a desktop computer. Here, we use ExpressVPN, one of our top VPN picks as an example.
Installing a VPN on a mobile device
- Sign up for an ExpressVPN account
- Download the VPN provider’s app through your relevant operating system’s app store (Android or iOS)
- Open the app and enter your account credentials. The app will take you through the next in-app setup instructions
Installing a VPN on a desktop computer
- Sign up for an ExpressVPN account
- Sign in to your account through the ExpressVPN account dashboard
- Download the VPN app by clicking the relevant link for your operating system (i.e Mac vs Android vs Windows)
- Keep open the browser window which is open as there will be an activation code that you need to input later
- Set up the VPN app by following the in-app setup instructions
Once you have set up your VPN software to work on the relevant device, you then need to ensure that a VPN connection is established each time you use an internet connection.
You will need to be connected to the internet to stream coverage of the Olympic games through whichever broadcaster you want to use. Once connected, you need to establish that VPN connection asap. To do so, open up the app and choose where in the world you would like to connect from. The country you choose needs to be a country that allows streaming of the broadcaster you want. Hit connect. Start streaming!
How to live stream the Olympic opening ceremony and other events per country
Different companies will stream and broadcast different events. As a result, if you know what broadcaster is televising what, you can watch almost any event that is being filmed using a VPN to get around any geoblocking restrictions. If you want to watch an event that is being streamed by a Canadian broadcaster, then set your VPN to a Canadian server and watch away. If you want to watch something on the BBC, but it is blocked in your current location, set your server connection on your VPN software to Great Britain and tune in to the BBC’s coverage.
Here are some of the English-speaking coverage options different countries will broadcast.
Live stream the Olympics from the USA
In the USA, NBC is the broadcaster who won the rights to air coverage of the 2020 Olympics. It means that Americans can watch the coverage either through NBCSN or NBC or the streaming service Peacock TV. It is possible to access NBCSN through the streaming service Sling as well. NBC’s coverage can be streamed through Locast.org. Many of these services do charge for streaming rights, but they can materially vary. Peacock premium, for example, costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 for a whole year. Sling Blue’s monthly package for Sling access costs $35 a month. However, Sling does often offer some good special offers.
Live stream the Olympics from Canada
Canadians with a cable subscription will be able to watch the Olympics live on Sportsnet, TSN, CBC and TLN on their TVs. For those that want to watch online, coverage is televised by Sportnet, TSN and CBC to stream. You can choose to sign up to the cable provider or simply go directly to the broadcaster and sign up for a channel-specific streaming package. Packages can vary hugely in price – like in the USA. Sportsnet Now will cost you $19.99 a month, or you could try subscribing to TSN for $4.99 a day. TSN also charges $19.99 a month as well.
Live stream the Olympics from the UK
The BBC and Eurosport have the rights to stream the Olympics in the UK this year. BBC is available to all that have a television license, while for Eurosport you will need both a TV license and a subscription too. BBC iPlayer is the BBC’s online offering which allows you to tune into so many different events as the BBC covers so many sports during the Olympics.
Live stream the Olympics from Australia
Australians love their sport, so it is no surprise that the Olympics is free for Australians to watch through Channel 7. Channel 7 has an online streaming service for those that are not in the country which is called 7Plus.
However, a huge proportion of the countries of the world will be covering different Olympic events through differing national broadcasters. Being able to stream any of them is the key to being able to watch almost any or all Olympic events.
Stream the Olympics with a VPN
While many people will be looking to install and use a VPN to watch the Olympics this year, wherever they are in the world, VPNs have many other uses. VPNs are fantastic at improving your online safety. Due to the encryption techniques used, a VPN makes you hard to trace. Plus, if a hacker were to infiltrate your connection somehow, they would not be able to read your data anyway. VPNs are therefore a good method for protecting yourself, your household or your business when connected to the internet.
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