The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 officially run between 24 July and 9 August, but sporting action kicks off two days before the Opening Ceremony with preliminary women’s football matches, as well as group games in one of the thrilling new sports that have been added to the programme, softball.

Rowing and archery get underway on the day of the Opening Ceremony (24 July), while gold medal activity will begin on Day 1 with the women’s 10m air rifle. There will be 11 medals in total that day, with others coming in archery, cycling, fencing, judo, taekwondo and weightlifting.

Several new sports will feature up front and early on the schedule. The Aomi and Ariake venues will be a hotspot for urban events, where a vibrant atmosphere is expected. Basketball 3×3 gets underway on the second day of the Games, as do street skateboarding events, while BMX freestyle follows on 1 and 2 August. Park skateboarding will feature on 5 and 6 August, and sport climbing will be held from 4 to 7 August.

Midway through the Games, you’re going to want to make sure you have cleared your weekend because Olympic action is loaded on 1 August. Don’t miss out on “Super Saturday”, when 21 medals will be awarded. From judo to triathlon and shooting, there’s something for everyone, so don’t miss out.

That’ll be followed by “Golden Sunday” – featuring 26 medal events, including the women’s marathon, men’s 100m athletics final, gymnastics for both genders and the men’s tennis singles final.

Other key dates to look out for? Athletics will kick off on 31 July at the new Olympic Stadium, and every session features finals – gold-medal action across multiple events. Karate, another sport making its Olympic Games debut in Tokyo, takes place from 6 to 8 August.

Saturday 8 August will be another date to note, when finals in a remarkable 30 events take place, the largest number ever on a single day during the Games. Included are finals in rhythmic gymnastics, women’s golf, men’s basketball, men’s football, baseball, men’s volleyball, and the artistic swimming team competition.

The curtain comes down on these historic Games on Sunday 9 August. The men’s marathon takes place in the morning, and the concluding event of Tokyo 2020 before the Closing Ceremony will be the men’s water polo final.