The Summer Olympics in Paris are fast approaching.
On Friday, July 26, the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympic will kick off, with athletes from all around the world representing their home countries.
Multiple athletes have been tapped to serve as flag bearers for their countries, including NBA superstar LeBron James. Earlier this week, it was announced on TODAY that the basketball player, who has been leading Team USA in recent exhibition games, will receive the honor of carrying the United States flag. Teammate Steph Curry shared the exciting news to James and the rest of the USA Basketball players.
James is already a gold medalist and this summer will mark his fourth Games. He previously competed for Team USA in 2004 and won a bronze medal before receiving gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
The two athletes who are chosen as flag bearers, one man and one woman, are voted by their fellow Olympic athletes. The other athlete who will carry the flag beside James has not been announced as of July 23.
Read on to find out how you can watch James and the rest of Team USA make their grand entrance at the opening ceremony.
Where to the stream opening ceremony
Viewers can tune into the opening ceremony on NBC, Peacock, the NBC and NBC Olympic apps.
All live streams of Olympic events will be available throughout the Games on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app and the NBC Olympics app. A complete schedule of the Games can be found here.
Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will host NBC’s broadcast of the opening ceremony while NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor will be aboard the Team USA boat with the athletes.
TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will be on the bridge along the River Seine next to spectators, who will get to view the opening ceremony for the first time with no admission fee.
What time does the opening ceremony start?
The opening ceremony begins Friday, July 26, at 10:30 a.m. PT/ 1:30 p.m. ET. It is expected to last approximately 4.5 hours. NBC’s coverage, which includes a preview show, will start slightly earlier at 9 a.m. PT/ 12 p.m. ET.
An encore presentation will feature additional elements not in the original live show. The primetime encore of the opening ceremony will air at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT, 6:30 p.m. MT and 7:30 p.m. PT.
While past ceremonies have been held in stadiums, this time athletes will arrive via boat. They’ll cruise down the River Seine, passing multiple Parisian landmarks, such as Notre-Dame and the Louvre. The procession begins under the Austerlitz Bridge next to Jardin des Plantes and ends near the Eiffel Tower at the Trocadéro, where French president Emmanuel Macron will give a speech and the Olympic torch will be lit.
How long are the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The 2024 Paris Olympics will run from Friday, July 26, until Sunday, August 11, the day of the closing ceremony.