New Sports to take Place at 2020 Olympics

Tokyo, Japan will host the 2020 Summer Olympics from July 24, 2020, to August 9, 2020. Some preliminary events will start on July 22, 2020. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) adds new sports to the Olympics every four years. Here is an insight into the five new sports that will take place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

1. Karate

Many mixed martial arts disciplines including boxing, taekwondo, judo and wrestling have been in the Winter and Summer Olympics for many years. But karate will debut in the sports competition this year. It includes several moves like elbow strikes, punching, knee strikes, and kicking. Fighters can use different open-hand techniques including palm heel attacks, spear-hands, and knife-hands.

The 2020 Summer Olympics will feature two karate disciplines; kumite and kara. Kumite is a sparring discipline with three men and women weight classes. Kate is a form discipline that will have one men’s and women’s event.

2. Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a popular sport among millennials. Thus, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added it to attract more youth. The sport involves using a wooden board with wheels to make dynamic moves. Sports fans who will watch the 2020 Summer Olympic Games can wager on any skateboarder.

Street and Park are the two skateboarding disciplines that will take place at the Olympics. Park entails skating in bowls, quarter pipes, and half pipes. Judges will award skaters points based on their grabs, height of jumps and speed. Street involves skating on a course. Skaters reproduce boxes, benches and stair sets.

3. Sport Climbing

Sport climbing is part of rock climbing. Athletes in the 2020 Summer Games will climb on artificial walls. The sport will have three formats, bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. Bouldering is a technical discipline in rock climbing. It comprises free climbing on short parts of the climbing walls or rock without using ropes.Climbers need to achieve the challenge in a few attempts.

Lead climbing entails climbing a particular route on the climbing wall. Athletes need to reach high pints before falling or climbing the course fast to achieve a podium.

4. Baseball and Softball

Baseball is popular in Japan and it resembles Rounders. Two teams compete with each other. Each side has nine players who play defense and offense. The offense team bats while the defense team fields and pitches.

An ordinary baseball game comprises nine innings. Its goal is to amass points through runs. Softball is a type of baseball that women will play in the

2020 Tokyo Olympics. But, a softball ball is bigger than a baseball. Also, it has a few field parameters.

5. Surfing

Tokyo Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee added surfing to make the 2020 Olympics relevant among the youth. Surfers will ride a huge wave at the Shidishita beach. The sport will have women’s and men’s categories. There has to be a surfable wave for surfers to compete. Surfing will have a 16 waiting period for surfable conditions to appear. Judges will award surfers points based on their maneuvers on waves.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Softball and baseball are returning to the sports competition since 2008. The IOC allowed Tokyo Olympic organizers to propose several sports that it can add to the Olympics.