Smorgasbord of Olympic sport on Nine's menu for Paris Games

Take holidays from work, hire a cleaner, teach the dog to walk itself and forget about sleep, because you'll likely be glued to the couch for 19 days as the Nine Network serves up an Olympic-sized sports feast never seen before in Australia.

Across its channels Nine and 9Gem, free-to-air streaming platform 9Now and subscription service Stan, Nine will broadcast approximately 5000 hours of content from the Paris Olympic Games from 32 sports and 329 events.

While the traditional Olympic favourites like swimming, athletics, gymnastics and cycling might grab the headlines, niche sports like judo, fencing, handball and canoe slalom will be delivered on 40-plus feature channels on Stan.

For the first time in Australia, Stan will also offer international channels focused on coverage from a British, French, Italian, German, Greek, Spanish, New Zealand and Indian perspective.

However, if your Olympic-watching time is at a premium, here's some of the highlights of week one you shouldn't miss.

Swimming Women's 400m Freestyle Final (July 28, 4.55am): It might only be day one of the Olympics, but for Australian poolside watchers this is arguably Paris' main event. If the heats (Saturday July 27, from 7pm) play out as expected, the final will pit Australian golden girl and reigning Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus against arch-rival, US superstar and seven-time gold medallist Katie Ledecky. However, the two super fish face a fresh-faced usurper in Canadian Summer McIntosh, 17, who last year set a new junior world record and in February became the first person to beat Ledecky since 2010 in the 800m.

Swimming Women's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final (July 28, 5.37am): After hopefully celebrating another Titmus gold medal, this relay could keep the pre-dawn party pumping in Aussie households. The Dolphins, led by two-time gold medallist Mollie O'Callaghan and the returning Shayna Jack, will be out to defend their Tokyo victory against the might of the USA and China.

Women's Canoe Single Final (August 1, 1.25am): The "world's greatest paddler" Jessica Fox returns to her country of birth to defend the title she won in Tokyo by a miraculous three-second margin without incurring a single penalty. It will be the 30-year-old's fourth Olympics and she's expected to add to her medal tally of nine.

Men's Basketball - Australia group phase games (July 27, 7pm vs Spain; July 30, 9.30pm vs Canada; August 2, 9.30pm vs Greece): After winning bronze at Tokyo, the Boomers are again expected to challenge for a medal with an experienced squad featuring captain Patty Mills and fellow NBA stars Josh Giddey, Dante Exum and Josh Green.

Women's Football - Australia group games (July 26, 3am vs Germany; July 29, 3am vs Zambia; August 1, 3am vs USA): The scheduling may be a shocker, but the beloved Matildas should reward early-risers with a committed Olympic campaign. Germany and the USA pose difficult opponents, but Australian captain Steph Catley leads an experience squad featuring Emily van Egmond, Hayley Raso, Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler.

Men's Triathlon (July 30, 4pm): Sport is often all about form, and right now Australian Matt Hauser is in red-hot form following his victory last Sunday at a world series race in Hamburg. Since debuting at Sydney in 2000, Australia is yet to win a medal in the men's triathlon at the Olympics, but the world No.6 Hauser is considered our best-ever chance. The race's 1500m swim leg will begin in the River Seine, before the 40km bike and 10km run courses take competitors along Paris' picturesque Champs-Élysées and past Arc de Triomphe, ensuring a stunning visual for television.

Surfing Women's Gold Medal Match (July 31, 12.15pm): Surfing returns for its second Olympics 15,700 kilometres away from Paris in Tahiti. Two-time world champion Tyler Wright leads the Australian team of Molly Picklum, Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing and will be the squad's best medal hope. At Tokyo in 2021 Tyler's brother Owen won bronze.