The five, which were proposed for inclusion previous year by Tokyo organizers, were approved unanimously by the International Olympic Committee members.
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Inclusion of skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing, karate and a joint baseball/softball is expected to significantly boost local support for the Olympics.
With the 5 new sports, the total number that will be in competition in Tokyo is now 33.
Bach said the popularity of baseball and softball in Japan was the key reason those sports were returning to the Olympic program in 2020. The International Olympic Committee chose five sports that they think will attract a younger audience to the summer games.
Baseball and softball have been off the program since the 2008 Games. The IOC voted them both out in 2005. Both the disciplines will see six teams battling it out for the biggest prize in world sport. The games will be played at a shared venue In Yokohama. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred praised the IOC’s decision to add the sport back into the games.
The IOC said last month that discussions are still underway with Major League Baseball to determine whether players from that North American professional league will be allowed to play in the tournament which would cause disruptions with the regularly scheduled season play.
It makes sense, then, that some of the world’s most notoriously “cool” sports ― surfing and skateboarding, in particular ― made the cut.
“But to compete for your country, to compete as a team, to stand on the podium with an Australian flag behind your head and hearing the national anthem, we don’t even know what it means”. If not, Carraro said, it will be “difficult for baseball to be included” beyond 2020. “The goal is to have the best players possible”.
Tokyo will host skateboarding, which will comprise two street and two park competitions with 20 male and 20 female participants. We will now plan how to upgrade our program to help our athletes qualify for the Olympics. World Surfing Association President Fernando Aguerre wants to make it a permanent feature of the quadrennial event, “It is a very special feeling, it is like literally it has been a 22 year paddle on this wave, on this Olympic wave”. “This is a game-changing moment for surfing”. These sports have been well established on the worldwide stage for a long, long time.
Skateboarding’s approval came despite tensions between rival federations.
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Expect baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing to take over your TV screens starting July 24, 2020.
