OLYMPICS

NBCUniversal will present 7,000 hours of coverage of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics across eight networks and multiple digital platforms from July 20 to Aug. 8.

The Tokyo Games will be NBCUniversal’s 11th consecutive Olympics production and ninth consecutive Summer Games – beginning with the 1988 Seoul Games. NBC’s first Olympics were in Tokyo in 1964.

NBC is scheduled to air 250 hours across 17 days, headlined by its prime-time coverage.

NBC also announced earlier this year that it would air live coverage of the opening ceremony at 6:55 a.m. on July 23. Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, meaning many of the marquee events will take place during prime time in the U.S.

USA Network, CNBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel and Golf Channel will combine for over 1,300 hours, and Telemundo Deportes and Universo have at least 309 hours for Spanish-language viewers.

Coverage of the Games begins July 20 at 8 p.m. on NBCSN with live softball and 4 a.m. on July 21 on USA Network when the United States faces Sweden in women’s soccer.

NBCSN (440 hours) and USA Network (388.5 hours) will present round-the-clock coverage beginning July 24. NBCSN’s coverage will focus on soccer, softball, beach volleyball, table tennis, handball, badminton, fencing and equestrian.

USA Network will feature basketball, soccer and water polo as well as swimming, track & field, diving, beach volleyball, volleyball, cycling and triathlon.

CNBC (124.5 hours) will concentrate on diving, beach volleyball, skateboarding, rowing, canoeing, archery, water polo and rugby.

Olympic Channel (242 hours) will focus on tennis and wrestling and Golf Channel (111 hours) has coverage of the men’s and women’s tournaments.

NBC Sports Digital will stream more than 5,500 hours of coverage on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will include studio programming and other coverage that has yet to be finalized.

VOLLEYBALL: Two-time medalists Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson and Jordan Larson headline the 12-player U.S. women’s volleyball team picked to compete at the Olympics in Tokyo.

Akinradewo Gunderson and Larson were part of the U.S. team that won a silver medal in 2012 in London and a bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Coach Karch Kiraly also announced he will be bringing back outside hitters Kim Hill and Kelsey Robinson for a second straight Olympics.

The other eight members will be making their first Olympic appearance: outside hitter Michelle Bartsch-Hackley; opposites Annie Drews and Jordan Thompson; setters Micha Hancock and Jordyn Poulter; middles Chiaka Ogbogu and Haleigh Washington; and libero Justine Wong Orantes.

The U.S. women’s team is currently ranked No. 1 in the world and is hoping to win its first Olympic gold. The women’s volleyball competition will begin July 24.

FOOTBALL

NFL: The San Francisco 49ers signed safety Tony Jefferson to a one-year deal.

The 49ers released cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun to make room for Jefferson on the roster.

Jefferson played seven seasons with Arizona and Baltimore but sat out last season after tearing his ACL with Baltimore in 2019.

Jefferson has 434 tackles, 22 passes defensed, 8 1/2 sacks, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions in 98 career games.

He provides depth at safety behind starters Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt.

Boddy-Calhoun appeared in one game with San Francisco in 2020 and also spent time on the team’s practice squad.

• Retired Washington quarterback Alex Smith has won the George Halas Award, presented by the Pro Football Writers of America for overcoming adversity.

Smith, who came back from a life-threatening leg injury and ended a nearly two-year absence by playing in eight games for Washington last season, is the second consecutive Halas winner to retire before being honored.

Former Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick was the 2020 winner after making the Pro Bowl in 2019 following a year away to recover from an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. Frederick retired after the 2019 season.

• Ja’Wuan James filed a $15 million grievance against the Denver Broncos, who released him last month after he ruptured an Achilles tendon during an off-site workout.

Also, the offensive tackle agreed to a two-year deal with Baltimore that ESPN reported was worth up to $9 million and includes $500,000 this year while James rehabs with the Ravens.

James’ injury became a flashpoint between the NFL and the NFL Players Association over the “non-football injury” designation, which relieves teams from having to pay players their full salaries if they’re injured off site.

In his grievance, James argues that his injury “was sustained in the course and scope of football training.”

GOLF

EUROPEAN TOUR: Marcus Armitage shot a 7-under 65 to win the three-day European Open by two shots at Hamburg, Germany.

The Englishman, who was at par after the opening round and 1 under after the second, made six birdies and an eagle to get 8-under 216 for his first European Tour title in his 71st appearance.

The 33-year-old Armitage bogeyed the 16th hole after a misjudged putt from more than 100 feet and produced a remarkable chip to save par on the 17th after an overly cautious tee shot.

Matthew Southgate looked most likely to reach Armitage’s total but drove into the water on the final hole for a 71 to finish in a tie for second.

Thomas Detry (69), Edoardo Molinari (70) and Darius Van Driel (70) also finished in a tie for second.

Previous champion Paul Casey, who won in 2019, shot 68 and finished sixth at 4 under.

The tournament at Green Eagle Golf Courses was shortened to 54 holes – and its start postponed by two days to Saturday – to allow players and tour staff from Britain extra time to deal with Germany’s travel restrictions.

SOCCER

OBIT: Yoo Sang-chul, one of the stars of South Korea’s surprising run to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, has died after long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 49.

Yoo played 124 times for South Korea from 1994 to 2005. The most famous of the Yoo’s 18 goals was the one that sealed his country’s first ever win in a World Cup match – 2-0 against Poland. It was in South Korea’s first game in the World Cup it was co-hosting with Japan.

A versatile midfielder who also played at the back and in attack during his long career, Yoo was included by FIFA in its 2002 World Cup All-Star team after appearing in all seven games for the South Koreans.

After retiring in 2005, Yoo, who won league titles as a player in Japan with Yokohama F.Marinos and in South Korea with Ulsan Horangi, worked as a pundit on national television.

Yoo started his coaching career in the K-League with Daejeon Citizen in 2011 and his last job was as head coach of Incheon United.

He was diagnosed with cancer in November 2019 but remained with the team and only quit as head coach two months later, after helping Incheon avoid relegation to the second tier.

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