How to watch karate at Tokyo Olympics: Schedule, channels and more

Karate is one of five new sports at the Tokyo Olympics. And it's not on the docket for Paris 2024, so this may be both the first and only time you can see a karate competition at the Olympics.

Karate consists of kata (forms) and kumite (sparring). In kata, a competitor choses from the 102 forms that are recognized by the World Karate Federation. As they demonstrate strength, speed, rhythm, balance and power of strikes, they are given points by judges. In kumite, two competitors face each other in a matted area and attack one another. Good form, power and control earn points from judges.

Team USA sent three karate athletes to Tokyo. Ariel Torres won the gold medal in men's kata at the 2019 Pan American Championships and is ranked 10th by the World Karate Federation. In women's kata, Sakura Kokumai is ranked No. 6 and took home a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Championships. And in men's kumite, Brian Irr is the Pan American bronze medalist and ranked No. 9. 

Here's everything you need to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics, including the schedule of events.

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How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics from anywhere in the world

The Olympics is a global event and can be viewed in almost every country on Earth. However, if you're not in your home country and can't watch the Tokyo Olympics karate events with your usual services — or you want to watch in your native language — you're not out of luck. 

With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well.

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. Plus, its 30-day money-back guarantee is a good perk.

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your website or streaming service of choice and tune in.

How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics live in the US

To watch karate from the Tokyo Olympics live, American viewers will need to go to NBCOlympics.com , which requires a cable login. Some matches will be shown, live or on replay, on USA.

Coverage on Peacock may include some live streaming of track cycling. Primetime highlights of Tokyo Olympics track cycling may also be shown on NBC.

USA is are part of the $35 per month Sling TV Blue package, as are NBC, NBCSN and CNBC. The Olympic Channel is also available as a $11 per month add-on. 

Sling is one of the best streaming services alongside our other recommendation for Olympics viewing: Fubo TV, which has 100-plus channels (many more than Sling), including all of the above networks. 

24/7 Olympics Coverage

In addition to the Olympics live streams, Peacock also has huge library of licensed content drawn from various brands. That includes shows like 30 Rock, The Voice, Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order: SVU and This Is Us.

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Cheaper Live TV

Sling TV: You can get NBC, USA and NBCSN in the Sling Blue package, which is $35/month — plus the Olympic Channel in the Sports Extra package ($11 per month extra).

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Fubo TV has NBC, USA, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel all its base $65 per month package. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front. Fubo's dozens of channels include local networks like ABC. 

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How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics in the UK

To watch every karate live in the UK, Brits will want to subscribe to Discovery Plus, which is offering full coverage of Tokyo 2020. Full schedule is below. 

Discovery is currently offering a three-day free trial of the service, with full subscriptions available for £6.99/month or £29.99/year after that. Plus, the service is available to stream through a multitude of devices include Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV and apps for iOS and Android.

The BBC iPlayer has been the go-to source for all Olympics coverage for those in the U.K., but things have changed.

The BBC no longer has the monopoly on Olympics coverage in the U.K., after the IOC sold the main European rights to the Discovery network. As a result, the BBC's coverage, though still good, is limited to no more than two live events at one time. 

Americans abroad can just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics live in Canada

Sportsnet, CBC and TSN are sharing coverage of the Olympics, so Canadians can find live and tape-delayed coverage of karate events on those channels.

Again, Americans visiting their friends in the great white north could just use Peacock, Sling, Fubo and other services, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics live in Australia

Down Under, Aussies can watch the Tokyo Olympics karate or FREE on the 7Plus network's streaming service — which has practically everything in the Olympics. 

Just add 14 hours to the Eastern times listed below to figure out when games start in AEST. 

Currently out of the country? Use ExpressVPN to access your paid-for services.

Tokyo Olympics karate schedule

Here's the schedule of men and women's karate (all times ET):

Wednesday, August 4

• 9:00 p.m. - Women's Kata Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 10:25 p.m. - Women's Kata Ranking Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 11:05 p.m. - Men's Kumite 67kg Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)

Thursday, August 5

• 4:00 a.m. - Women's Kumite 55kg Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:30 a.m. - Women's Kata Bronze Medal Bouts — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:50 a.m. - Women's Kata Final Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:05 a.m. - Men's Kumite 67kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:22 a.m. - Women's Kumite 55kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:40 a.m. - Men's Kumite 67kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:50 a.m. - Women's Kumite 55kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 9:00 p.m. - Men's Kata Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 10:33 p.m. - Men's Kata Ranking Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 11:28 p.m. - Women's Kumite 61kg Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)

Friday, August 6

• 4:00 a.m. - Men's Kumite 75kg Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:30 a.m. - Men's Kata Bronze Medal Bouts — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:50 a.m. - Men's Kata Bronze Final Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:05 a.m. - Women's Kumite 61kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:22 a.m. - Men's Kumite 75kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:40 a.m. - Women's Kumite 61kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:50 a.m. - Men's Kumite 75kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)

Saturday, August 7

• 1:00 a.m. - Women's Kumite +61kg Elimination Rounds                    
  Men's Kumite +75kg Elimination Rounds — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:20 a.m. - Women's Kumite +61kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:37 a.m. - Men's Kumite +75kg Semifinals — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 6:55 a.m. - Women's Kumite +61kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)
• 7:05 a.m. - Men's Kumite +75kg Gold Medal Bout — (on NBCOlympics.com)

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