After the thrilling victory of Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team (and the U.S. women's rugby team shocking bronze medal win) Tuesday, the best swimmer in the world takes center stage on Wednesday as the Olympics roll onward.
Katie Ledecky will be in action, with her signature event: the 500-meter freestyle. In qualifying events, Ledecky trounced the competition—and with gold on the line, she could push herself even harder.
LeBron James and Team USA men's basketball will also be in action, taking on South Sudan at 3:00 p.m. ET, a game that could be a lot closer than some fans expect.
That’s a lot, but there’s plenty to watch on Day Five. Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda on Wednesday July 31—and how to catch the action.
What Olympic events are taking place on July 31?
Swimming and men’s basketball are the highlight events scheduled for Day Five, but as we learned yesterday, sometime the best stories come from sports few people would plan on watching. A complete schedule is below, but here’s a look at what are likely to be the most popular events—and likely to be a featured part of the evening recap show.
Swimming
Women’s 100-m freestyle final - airs live at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Men’s 200-m butterfly final - airs live at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Women’s 1,500-m freestyle final - airs live at 3:13 p.m. ET on NBC
Men’s 200-m breaststroke final - airs live at 4:31 p.m. ET on NBC
Men’s 100-m freestyle final - airs live at 4:39 p.m. ET on NBC
Basketball
USA vs. South Sudan - airs live at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA
Women’s Soccer
Australia vs. USA - airs live at 1:00 p.m. ET on E!
Complete Day 4 schedule for the 2024 Olympics
(All times are ET. All events can be watched live on Peacock.)
3×3 basketball
Women’s and men’s pool games, 11:30 a.m.-4:35 p.m.
Archery
Men’s and women’s eliminations, 6 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
Gymnastics
Men’s all-around final, 11:30 a.m.
Badminton
Group play and quarterfinals, 2:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Women’s basketball
Spain vs. Puerto Rico, 5 a.m.
China vs. Serbia, 7:30 a.m.
Men’s basketball
Puerto Rico vs. Serbia, 11:15 a.m.
U.S. vs. South Sudan, 3 p.m.
Beach volleyball
Pool games, 3 a.m.-4 p.m.
Boxing
Round of 16, quarterfinals, 5 a.m.-4:08 p.m.
Canoe slalom
Women’s C1 semifinal, 9:30 a.m.
Women’s C1 final, 11:25 a.m.
Cycling (BMX)
Women’s park final, 7:10 a.m.
Men’s park final, 8:44 a.m.
Diving
Women’s 10-m synchronized final, 5 a.m.
Equestrian
Individual and team dressage, 4 a.m.
Fencing
Men’s team sabre, 7:30 a.m.-10:40 a.m.
Field hockey
Women’s and men’s pool games, 4 a.m.-2:15 p.m.
Handball
Men’s group games, 3 a.m.-3 p.m.
Judo
Women’s 70 kg and men’s 90 kg competitions, 4-11:18 a.m.
Rowing
Lightweight men’s and double heats, 3:30 a.m.
Men’s and women’s single semifinals, 3:54 a.m.
Men’s and women’s pair semifinals, 4:34 a.m.
Lightweight men’s and women’s double semifinals, 5:14 a.m.
Men’s and women’s quadruple finals, 6:02 a.m.
Sailing
Skiff and windsurfing races, 6:15-10:48 a.m.
Shooting
Men’s 50-m rifle qualification, 3 a.m.
Women’s trap qualification, 3 a.m.
Women’s trap final, 9:30 a.m.
Women’s soccer
Brazil vs. Spain, 11 a.m.
Japan vs. Nigeria, 11 a.m.
Australia vs. U.S., 1 p.m.
Zambia vs. Germany, 1 p.m.
Colombia vs. Canada, 3 p.m.
New Zealand vs. France, 3 p.m.
Surfing
Women’s round 3, 6 p.m.
Swimming
Women’s 200-m backstroke heats, men’s 200-m backstroke heats, women’s 200-m butterfly heats, 5 a.m.
Women’s 100-m freestyle final, 2:30 p.m.
Men’s 200-m butterfly final, 2:37 p.m.
Women’s 200-m butterfly semis, 2:45 p.m.
Women’s 1,500-m freestyle final, 3:13 p.m.
Men’s 200-m backstroke semis, 3:47 p.m.
Women’s 200-m backstroke semis, 4:03 p.m.
Men’s 200-m breaststroke final, 4:31 p.m.
Men’s 100-m freestyle final, 4:39 p.m.
Table tennis
Men’s and women’s singles, 4 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tennis
Men’s and women’s singles and doubles, mixed doubles 5:55 a.m.-1:03 p.m.
Triathlon
Women’s individual, 2 a.m.
Men’s individual, 4:45 a.m.
Volleyball
Men’s and women’s pool games, 3 a.m.-3 p.m.
Water polo
Women’s pool games, 8 a.m.-2:05 p.m.
What sort of time delay is there with the 2024 Olympics?
Paris is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time and nine hours ahead of Pacific time. As a result, many events (and finals) will take place in the morning U.S. time. NBC will air two daily Olympics shows, one that coincides with Paris’ prime time (from 2:00 p.m. ET through 5:00 p.m. ET) and another in traditional U.S. prime time, which will show highlights. You can also watch live on Peacock.
How can I watch the 2024 Olympics for free?
You won’t be able to watch every event, but NBC’s broadcast channel is the heart of the network’s coverage. The best way to watch that for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. Be sure to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home to find the most reliable signal.
How can I stream the 2024 Paris Olympics live online if I don't have a cable subscription?
Peacock is the streaming home of the 2024 Summer Games, carrying every event live and on demand as well as offering a daily recap for viewers. Peacock also has a fully interactive Olympics experience, letting you decide how you build your own schedule of events and catch key highlights, as well as a Multiview functionality that will let you watch up to four sports simultaneously.
Don’t have a subscription? There are several other streaming options to choose from – some free, some with free trial periods and some requiring a log-in from your cable or satellite provider.
NBC has set up the NBCOlympics.com website and offers the NBCSports app with the widest variety of options. Otherwise, try one of these:
Disney+
Disney's bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ no longer has a free trial, so you’ll have to pay $15 per month for all three combined (or $25 per month for no ads on Hulu).
Including Live TV in the bundle bumps the price to $77 per month ($90 with no ads).
Hulu with Live TV
The free trial on this service is no longer offered, as well. It will now cost you $77 per month.
YouTubeTV
After up to a two-week trial, you can expect monthly charges of $73.
Sling TV
Dish Network's Sling lower-tiered "Orange" plan will run you $40 per month. Adding the more comprehensive "Blue" plan bumps the cost to $55 per month. The seven-day free trial has disappeared, unfortunately.
DirecTV Stream
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TVNow and AT&T TV, this oft-renamed streaming service will run you $75 per month and up after the free trial option.
Fubo TV
This sports-focused cord-cutting service carries broadcast networks in most markets. There's a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $75 and up, depending on the channels you choose.
