How to follow the 2016 Olympics from your smartphone
The games of the 31st Olympiad kick off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday. And if the swarms of Zika-infected mosquitos, roving street gangs and astonishingly polluted waterways don’t derail the big show, there might just be some sports to watch.
Keeping up with the games, rankings and medal ceremonies from afar can be tough, especially if you’re not near your computer or TV. But with these apps, you can follow the 2016 Olympics wherever you go.
Team USA (Free: Android and iOS)
If you’re like me, you’ll be spending all 16 days of the Olympic games screaming “USA! USA!” at the top of your lungs. So chances are you’re going to want to keep on top of the latest Team USA news. That’s where the official Team USA app comes in. Available for Android and iOS, the app gives you access to everything Team USA including athlete profiles, live updates on events, schedules, videos and photos and the latest news on Team USA’s athletes.
BBC Sports (Free: Android and iOS)
Available for Android and iOS, the BBC Sports app provides Olympic scores, results, videos, features and information on Great Britain’s own athletes. Of course, there is also plenty of coverage on all of the other countries at the games.
NBC Rio 2016 (Free: Android and iOS)
The NBC Rio 2016 app can use your phone’s GPS to provide you with information about athletes from your hometown. You can also set up push notifications for the latest news and medal winners, as well as medal tallies and events. You’ll also be able to see schedules, results and news feeds, as well as athlete profiles and more.
Olympics (Free: Android and iOS)
The official app of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) features profiles of athletes from this year’s games, as well as previous Olympics. You’ll also find the names of and information on countries participating in the games, galleries of their athletes and the medals they’ve won.
NBC Sports (Free: Android and iOS)
NBC is the official broadcasting partner of the Olympics, which means if you’ve got the NBC Sports app you’ll get access to live video coverage of every Olympic event as it unfolds, as well as replays and highlights of the biggest games from the show. The app also offers clips from the big show including features on topics ranging from individual athletes to the style of clothing athletes will wear during the opening ceremony. In order to watch the live video, though, you’ll need to have access to a cable or satellite provider.
Rio 2016 (Free: Android and iOS)
With the Rio 2016 app, you simply have to select your language of choice, your time zone, how often you want to receive details on events (5,10, or 15 minutes or manually) and bam, you’ll have all of the latest Olympic updates beamed to your smartphone as they happen. You can also keep track of your favorite countries (USA! USA!), your favorite sports to follow and your favorite athletes and teams.
US Paralympics (Free: Android and iOS)
The Paralympic games kick off on Sept. 7 and that means you’ll be able to follow along with the world’s best athletes as they compete in everything from archery to wheelchair tennis. The US Paralympics app gives you all of the info you need to follow the games. And get ready to chant “USA! USA!” all over again.
More on the 2016 Olympics from Yahoo Finance:
Goldman Sachs: The Olympics won’t save Brazil
Facebook challenges Twitter with new Olympics features
Why the biggest story of the 2016 Olympics is this marketing rule change
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
