The organising committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has proposed the inclusion of five new sports in their event, with baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing being put forward. The final decision will be made by the International Olympic Committee at its 129th Session in Rio de Janeiro, shortly before the 2016 Olympic Games.

If Tokyo 2020’s suggestions are accepted, it would mean 18 new medal events and an additional 474 athletes would take part in the next Olympic Games after Rio 2016. Baseball/softball, which were last contested at the Beijing 2008 Games and are very popular in Japan, would be the biggest new sport, with a total of 234 athletes (144 male baseball players, 90 female softball players).

The next largest would be karate, whose rich history is closely linked to Japan, with 80 athletes. Skateboarding, which would broaden the appeal of the Games among the youth audience, would also have 80 competitors (40 in a ‘street’ event and 40 in a ‘park’ competition). Sports climbing (with ‘bouldering’, ‘lead’ and ‘speed combined’ events) and surfing (in the form of a shortboard event) would each bring 40 athletes to the Games.

Tokyo 2020 suggested the new sports in line with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 strategic roadmap, which, among other things, established regular reviews of the sports programme and encourages Games organisers to develop a project that fits their sporting context.  

The official Tokyo 2020 website said: “This package represents both traditional and emerging youth-focused events, all of which are popular in Japan and internationally. They will serve as a driving force to further promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal, and will add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide.”

The proposed events were selected through a process that began in May 2015, when 26 International Sports Federations applied. Eight of these were shortlisted in June 2015, with bowling, squash and wushu missing out on the final cut by Tokyo 2020’s Additional Event Programme Panel.

“Each of the eight shortlisted international federations amply demonstrated their potential to add to the value of the Games and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to each of them for their outstanding efforts,” said Fujio Mitarai, chair of the Additional Event Programme Panel.