Five years ago during Rio 2016 there were 74.4 million requests, which was the previous record.

In addition to the live and on-demand content on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, 36.4 million people watched Tokyo 2020 on BBC television.

The men's 100 metres final was the most-watched event on television with five million viewers tuning in to watch on BBC One, closely followed by the women's 100m, which was watched by 4.5 million people.

Britain's Max Whitlock's pommel horse gold medal victory was watched by 3.6 million people, and Bradley Sinden's men's under-68-kilogram taekwondo final match - which he won silver in - attracted 3.4 million people.

Lauren Williams' women's under-67kg taekwondo gold medal contest was the most requested online piece of coverage with 2.5 million, followed by the team dressage final, which attracted 2.4 million requests, and saw Britain win bronze.

A total of 27.5 million visitors accessed the BBC Sport website during the Games, with 41.3 million online requests for highlights clips.

"These Olympics have been nothing short of extraordinary and we’ve been right at the heart of the action, bringing the biggest and best moments of the Games to life for millions back in the United Kingdom," said Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport.

"Delivering a record-breaking Games in the midst of a pandemic is a testament to the BBC Sport production teams in Salford as well as the power of sport in bringing people together. 

"We're incredibly proud to have shone a light on some of the most remarkable stories to come out of Tokyo 2020."

Despite these encouraging viewing figures, BBC's live coverage was limited due to the International Olympic Committee selling the majority of UK television rights to media company Discovery, with the arrangement meaning the BBC could only show two streams of coverage.

This meant UK viewers had to watch the majority of live action on subscription channel Eurosport - which is not free-to-air in the UK - or on Discovery+, Discovery's streaming service.