Rio 2016: What TV channel is the Opening Ceremony on tonight? Live stream, how to watch online

Published 8:46 am Thursday, August 4, 2016

The Rio Olympics 2016 are tonight (Friday, August 5).

They begin at 6 p.m. central time (8 p.m. Rio time) but are not on TV until one hour later since they are tape-delayed for prime time (later on the west coast).

But most U.S. residents will see the Olympics Opening Ceremony at 7 p.m. central/8 p.m. eastern.

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Opening Ceremony TV channel for tonight: NBC.

You can watch online by getting the NBC live stream here at NBC Sports Live or at NBC.com/live but you will need a cable subscription or access to one to sign in and watch. You could sign up for a free trial at sling.com and that will get you through the opening ceremony and early days of the games for 7 days.

The Latest on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (all times local):

8:20 a.m.

The International Boxing Association says all 11 of Russia’s boxers who qualified for the Rio Games have been cleared to participate following a doping review for all Russian athletes.

AIBA said in a statement Thursday that it recommended each boxer be allowed to fight following the reviews, and got confirmation of that assessment from an IOC review panel.

The IOC responded to the Russian doping scandal by placing the burden on international sports federations to determine whether Russian athletes should be allowed to compete in Rio.

More than 250 have been declared eligible by federations so far, with more decisions expected Thursday on the eve of the opening ceremony. More than 100 Russian athletes, including the track and field team, have been excluded.

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8 a.m.

French President Francois Hollande is wasting no time pushing his country as a potential 2024 Olympics host, making an on-site bid in Rio de Janeiro.

Hollande flew to Rio on Thursday for a series of meetings over two days, including a dinner with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and delegation chiefs of countries taking part in the Olympics and Paralympics. They were holding private talks Friday.

Paris lost the 2012 Games to London in a surprise for the French, who felt certain Paris would be selected.

Hollande will present the French candidacy for 2024 to the press on Friday, meet with French athletes and attend gala events, leaving after the opening ceremony Friday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.