After months of preparation and excitement, the Olympic Games are finally underway, with more than 11,000 athletes from around the world competing for their shot at the gold. Whether you regularly keep up with the sports world or are more of a casual observer, there are so many Olympic events to watch this week. At the opening ceremony, you could almost feel the passion of the athletes radiating through your television (or computer) screen. Now we get to watch as these athletes compete for the pride of their countries and love of their sports.
No matter what sport you tune into — handball, rugby, gymnastics, swimming — you're bound to be catch moments that will go down in history. Whether it was American swimmer Katie Ledecky smashing a world record in the 400 free or Team USA handily beating the competition in the women's gymnastics preliminaries, the first few days of the Olympics were full of exciting moments. But what should you watch next — and when? With more than 300 events taking place over 19 days of competition, it would be impossible to catch them all. To help you out, we've outlined some of the most highly anticipated events happening this week in Rio.
Tuesday, Aug. 9
Women's Gymnastics, Team All-Around: Team USA is hoping to make history by becoming the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win back-to-back Olympic team medals. Led by captain Aly Raisman and Simone Biles, they're currently the favorite to win.
Tune in at 3 p.m. EST.
Women's Swimming, 200 Free Finals: If you're looking to double up, make sure you watch Team USA's Katie Ledecky compete for another gold medal. (She already has one gold and one silver.)
Tune in at 9:19 p.m. EST.
Wednesday, Aug. 10
Men's Gymnastics, All-Around Final: Japan is already dominating this year's Olympics in men's gymnastics, winning the gold in the team event and defeating China. On Wednesday, Japan's Kohei Uchimura — widely considered the best gymnast in the world — will compete to become the first man in over 40 years to repeat as the men's all-around champion.
Tune in at 3 p.m. EST.
Men's Basketball, Preliminaries: Remember the Dream Team? Well, this year's version is shaping up to give the original lineup a run for their money. Team USA has 12 NBA players in its lineup, and after emerging victorious against China (119-62) and Venezuela (113-69), now has a game against Australia.
Tune in at 6 p.m. EST.
Thursday, Aug. 11
Women's Gymnastics, Individual All-Around: All eyes are likely to be on Simone Biles, who some are calling the best female gymnast in history. At qualifiers, she finished with the highest individual score on floor, vault, and beam.
Tune in at 3 p.m. EST.
Men's Swimming, 200-Meter Individual Medley Final: Whether you're a swimming super fan or not, be sure to tune into this event, which Michael Phelps is heavily favored to win.
Tune in at 10:01 p.m. EST.
Friday, Aug. 12
Women’s Skeet: Sure, skeet shooting is probably not the first event you might think of, but why not broaden your interests? This event is going to be pretty high-stakes. Kim Rhode, who is already the first American to earn individual medals in five consecutive Olympics, is ready to win her sixth.
Tune in at 8 a.m. EST.
Saturday, Aug. 13
Women's Tennis, Singles: After competing alongside her sister (but losing their doubles match), Serena Williams will ride solo as she competes on Saturday for the gold. If she wins, she could become the first repeat Olympic tennis singles champion in history.
Tune in at 4:20 p.m. EST.
Sunday, Aug. 14
Men's Track and Field, 100-Meter Semifinals and Finals: Competing in what will likely be his final Olympics, Jamaican runner Usain Bolt is hoping to make history. Bolt, widely considered the world's fastest man, won the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter races in both the Beijing and London Olympics. On Sunday, he hopes to do the same in Rio. If he does, Bolt will be the first Olympic men’s runner to win the same individual event three straight times.
Tune in at 8 p.m. EST.
Every Day
The Greatness of Leslie Jones: Let's be honest here. The real winner of the 2016 Olympics in Rio is comedian, actress, and Ghostbuster Leslie Jones. Jones' commentary on the Olympics, which she has been posting to her Twitter since day one, has been hilarious, patriotic, and exciting. And people are taking notice. She's even caught the attention of Jim Bell, an NBC Olympics executive producer, who officially invited her to Rio on Monday. And of course, she accepted.
