When and where to watch the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in UAE

Pandemic-ravaged Games set for a low-key start on Friday amid more controversy and setbacks

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  A gardener waters trees cut in the shape of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics mascots in Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2021.

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  A bicyclist travels past a banner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Yume-no-Ohashi Bridge in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday.

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  Visitors with the Olympic rings outside the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo.

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  A person takes a picture from an observation deck as National Stadium, where the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held, is seen in the background in Tokyo.

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  U S First Lady Jill Biden arrives at Yokota US Air Force Base, outskirts of Tokyo.

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  Volunteers walk through Ariake Urban Sports Park.

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  Staff work on the BMX track at Ariake Urban Sports Park.

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  A technician works next to Olympic Rings in Tokyo.

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  Staff wearing face masks walk through one of the skateboarding venues in Tokyo.

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  People view the BMX track at Ariake Urban Sports Park.

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  Pedestrians walk past a huge display showing news report about the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee sacking of Opening Ceremony director Kentaro Kobayashi, after footage from the late 1990s recently emerged of a skit in which he appears making jokes about the Holocaust.

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  Team Italy and Team Australia stand in the infield for pre-game ceremonies.

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  General view of the National Stadium, the main venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

The Tokyo Olympics are here, and it has been far from a smooth ride. From a year-long delay due to the pandemic to multiple-withdrawals and last-minute panic over Covid-19 cases among the Olympic contingent in Japan, it has been one rollercoaster of a ride.

The public sentiment in the country has been one of skepticism mixed with fear. After all, over 11,000 athletes across the globe have travelled to one location in the midst of a pandemic that has still not been controlled. However, it's now showtime and we can only hope for a relatively incident-free Games.

Local spectators are barred from almost all Games venues, with only around 900 people expected to attend the opening ceremony at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium on Friday.

When and where to watch the opening ceremony in the UAE

The build-up for the opening ceremony begins at 1pm UAE time on Friday, while the ceremony will kick off at 3pm, with an expected running time of more than three hours. The Tokyo Olympics will be shown in beIN Sports in the UAE.

What to expect at the ceremony

The ceremony has been watered down to prevent crowding, with the parade of nations, a centrepiece of the show featuring athletes, drastically reduced.

Reports of the rehearsals suggest a high-tech show including a drone display. Japan's Emperor Naruhito will be chief among the VIPs, along with some world leaders and senior figures including US First Lady Jill Biden and France President Emmanuel Macron.

Who will be the flag bearers at the opening ceremony?

In March, the International Olympic Committee announced that each nation will have the option to have two flag bearers - one male, one female - at the opening ceremony to promote gender equality.

For Greece - the nation which always leads out the opening ceremony - shooter Anna Korakaki and gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias have been selected as flag bearers, while host nation Japan will be led out by wrestler Yui Susaki and basketball player Rui Hachimura.

The flag bearers for the United States will be basketball player Sue Bird and basketball player Eddy Alvarez, and for Great Britain, sailor Hannah Mills and rower Mohamed Sbihi will have the honour.

China will be led out by volleyball player Zhu Ting and Taekwondo fighter Zhao Shuai, while India will have boxer Mary Kom and hockey player Manpreet Singh as its flag bearers.

Many nations have yet to reveal who their flag bearers will be for the opening ceremony.

What's the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony?

The show director for the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony was fired on the eve of the event over a decades-old skit referencing the Holocaust.

Kentaro Kobayashi's comments in a video of a comedy sketch from 1998 emerged online overnight and resulted in his removal.

"It came to light that during a past performance, [he] used language that mocked a tragic fact of history," Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto said.

"The organising committee has decided to relieve Kobayashi of his post," she said.