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Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony: Here's how to watch

The Tokyo Olympics come to a grand conclusion on Sunday with the closing ceremony. Here's everything you need to know.
/ Source: TODAY

After two weeks of tight-competition across hundreds of events, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will come to a close on Sunday, Aug. 8.

This summer’s Olympic Games were postponed for a year due to the pandemic. Despite the additional health protocols in place and necessary adjustments for the safety of the athletes in place, the 206 countries in the International Olympic Committee were able to compete this year and win big at this year's unprecedented Games.

As this summer's Olympics come to an end, here’s how you can watch the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony.

What time is the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony?

The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 7:00 a.m. ET at Olympic Stadium following the completion of all 339 medal events. The closing ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. local time in Tokyo following the last day of competition, which includes volleyball, water polo, track & field, boxing, handball and basketball.

Tokyo’s time zone is 13 hours ahead of the East Coast in the United States.

The Olympic flame burning on the cauldron at Ariake Yume-no-Ohashi Bridge in Tokyo.
The Olympic flame burning on the cauldron at Ariake Yume-no-Ohashi Bridge in Tokyo.Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images

Where can you watch the Olympic closing ceremony?

The closing ceremony will be streaming live on Sunday on NBCOlympics.com, Peacock, and the NBC Sports App. At 8:00 p.m. ET, it will also air during primetime on NBC. Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir will host NBC’s primetime coverage.

What will Team USA be wearing?

Ralph Lauren, which has been the official outfitter of Team USA since 2008, designed a series of closing ceremony outfits for the athletes to conclude the Tokyo Olympic Games in style. This year, the fashion brand focused on using sustainable materials and manufacturing practices to create crisp, sporty ensembles for the Olympians.

The uniforms consist of a white drawstring jacket with the American flag placed on the left shoulder, while denim pants with a striped belt made from Repreve recycled polyester, a white Polo shirt, as well as a mask and pair of shoes made from cotton grown in the United States.

Who will be the U.S. flag bearer at the closing ceremony?

It was announced on Thursday, Aug. 6 that women's javelin thrower Kara Winger was selected as the flag bearer for the U.S. contingent at a the closing ceremony. The four time Olympian expressed her excitement and gratitude in a statement earlier the week, saying, “There’s no better way to conclude my career as an Olympic athlete than to lead the U.S. team into the Closing Ceremony.”

Winger finished 17th in Tokyo after throwing 59.71 meters (approximately 196 feet) during preliminaries earlier in the week. She came up short on making it to the finals, as only the top 12 throwers from the qualifying round proceed to the finals.

What can you expect from the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony?

Unlike Olympics of the past, this year’s closing ceremony will take place with no fans or spectators due to restrictions related to the pandemic. Each year, the ceremony has a parade of flags that represent all of the nations that have participated in the Olympic Games. While the opening ceremony of the Olympics has a specific order during the Parade of Nations, which kicks-off with Greece and ends with the host nation, at the closing ceremony, the athletes all walk together in one group together.

The closing ceremony also includes a ceremonial flag handover where the Olympic flag is lowered and the flag of the country who will host the next Summer Olympics is raised alongside the flag of the current host country. In this case, France’s flag will be raised with the Japanese flag as they will be hosting the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The Olympic Games will be declared closed during a speech made by the IOC president, Thomas Bach, and made official by extinguishing the Olympic flame.