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This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening at the Tokyo Olympics by subscribing here.
Need help following the Tokyo Olympics? We've got you covered
The Tokyo Olympics officially begin Friday. But here's something you might not know: competition actually starts a few days before the opening ceremony — on Tuesday evening in Canadian time zones. Canadian athletes start competing a few hours later, when the women's softball team faces Mexico at 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Shortly after that game, the Canadian women's soccer team begins its quest for a third consecutive Olympic medal when it takes on host Japan at 6:30 a.m. ET — 48½ hours before the opening ceremony even starts.
Which is all to say, the Olympics come at you fast. And most people don't spend the four (this time five) years between Games following all the sports and athletes they'll soon be enthralled with for the next few weeks. Canada is sending 371 athletes to Tokyo, where more than 1,000 medals will be awarded in 33 different sports — four of them brand new to the Olympics. Throw in the time difference (Japan is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time) and all the weirdness involved with holding the Games during a global pandemic and… well, it's a lot to catch up on.
That's where The Buzzer comes in. As CBC Sports' daily e-mail newsletter, we cover this stuff year-round. Every year. We know these sports, these athletes and their backstories — like who will challenge Canada's Andre De Grasse for the title of world's fastest man now that Usain Bolt is retired, or who might be the next Penny Oleksiak on the Canadian swimming team. We're going to pass that knowledge on, so that you can get the maximum enjoyment out of watching these Olympics unfold.
Starting Monday, and every day through the closing ceremony on Aug. 8, The Buzzer will arrive in your inbox each afternoon. We'll tell you who and what you should watch when the next competition day gets underway that evening, and where you can watch it — on TV or streaming. We'll also guide you through the Games with insight and analysis on the most important things that happened earlier in the day, so you can feel like an expert too. Think of us as a concierge service for Olympic viewers.
If you're already subscribed to The Buzzer, you're all set (and you have great taste in newsletters, by the way). If you're not, sign up here. It's free and easy. All you do is enter your email address, then make sure to open the confirmation email that gets sent to you so you're added to the subscriber list right away.
Now let the Games begin.
