Tokyo Olympics opens today

IT is finally here and after a year’s delay, the Tokyo Summer Olympics will finally kick off this morning.

The opening ceremony is slated for 7 a.m. today local time at the National Stadium of Tokyo and Barbados flag bearers have been in Japan for the last week along with their coaches and the Barbados delegation.

With the IOC promoting gender equality this year, there will be two flag bearers and they will be swimmers Danielle Titus and Alex Sobers.

Sobers will be the first Bajan athlete in action as he is set to contest the Men’s 400m Freestyle. Sobers is drawn in Heat 2 and will swim in lane 8. The time to watch the race is 6:44 a.m. on Saturday and the top 8 will progress to the final.

Sobers is set to also compete in the Men’s 200m Freestyle. This heat is set for Sunday at 6:21 a.m. and he is once again in Heat 2. In this event, the top 16 will advance to the semi-finals.

Titus is slated to get in the pool for the Women’s 100m Backstroke in Heat 2 and is slated to swim in lane 1. The best 16 athletes will progress to the semi-finals.

Barbados Olympics Heat times

Alex Sobers

Swimming

Men’s 400m Freestyle Heat 2 – 6:44 a.m. Saturday

Men’s 200m Freestyle Heat 2 – 6:21 a.m. Sunday

Danielle Titus

Swimming

Women’s 100m Backstroke – 6:04 a.m. Sunday