The reason why Simone Biles and Team USA gymnasts didn’t walk during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

The team will start competing on Sunday, July 25, at the women’s gymnastics qualifying round

JULY 23, 2021 11:44 AM EDTJUL 23, 2021, 11:44 AM EDT

The gymnasts of Team USA are saving all their energy for the mat and decided to stay in and don’t walk during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. The reason? They are focusing on bringing home all the medals.

Team captain Simone Biles took social media to share images of her and fellow athletes wearing their official Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms for the event. “Our opening ceremony mix,” Biles captioned the picture, in which she can be seen posing and all smiles next to Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, Jade Carey, and MyKayla Skinner.

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According to The New York Times, Meredith Yeoman, a spokeswoman for USA Gymnastics, said the athletes are entirely “focused on preparation.” The team will start competing on Sunday, July 25, at the women’s gymnastics qualifying round.

Biles also said on her Instagram Story that they “did our own little walk outside where we are staying, haha,” adding that other reasons to skip the opening ceremony included ”COVID” and the ”amount of standing.” According to the athlete, ”we start the following day, so it wouldn’t be smart,” Biles said.

Opening Ceremony Olympics: Day 0 — Flag bearers Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez of Team United States lead their team during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

In the United States, NBCUniversal will air the sports event across all its platforms. Starting July 23 through August 8, athletes will compete to become number one in their respective categories, and you can follow their journey from your preferred device.

If you are always on the run, by downloading NBCU’s Peacock streaming service, you will have access to live coverage of gymnastics, track and field, and men’s basketball, among other sports.

For those looking to watch the Tokyo Olympics on the TV, your local NBC station will be broadcasting the Opening Ceremony (Friday, July 23, at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT) and the Closing Ceremony on August 8 at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT.

NBC Sports Network, USA, CNBC, the NBC Olympics channel, the Golf Channel, and Telemundo will also broadcast the event. Viewers can stream the games from their Sling TV, Roku, Hulu Plus, FuboTV, AT&T TV, Xfinity, and YouTube TV accounts.