The delayed Summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo from July 23- August 8, 2021. Here are all the new sports that you will see at this year’s Games.
Surfing – The world’s best surfers will have the chance to catch big waves off of the Pacific coast of Japan.
Skateboarding – There will be two categories. Street, which takes place on a straight course that imitates a street with stairs, curbs, railings, slopes, etc.; and Park, which takes place on surfaces with inclines and curves.
Sport Climbing – This event will occur on the dams of Japan, and climbers will demonstrate their skills in these categories: speed, boulder (block climbing, and lead (difficulty).
Karate – This hits close to home for the Tokyo Olympics since Karate originated in Okinawa. The matches will occur at the Nippon Budokan, the home of Japanese martial arts.
Baseball & Softball – Though once a part of the Games back in 2008, they are making a comeback this year.
These sports were chosen from a list of 26 others that dream of being in the Olympics. Some of these include bowling, bridge, chess, American football, polo, squash, and sumo.
Tokyo 2021 will have 15 new disciplines in addition to these new sports. The aim is to increase women’s participation and promote equality, including the 1500m women’s and 4x100m mixed event in swimming, a diverse team event in archery, the 4×400m mixed relay in athletics, the 3×3 women’s and men’s in basketball, etc.
The basic requirements for a sport to be Olympic are: it must have a men’s federation in at least 75 countries on four continents and a women’s federation in 40 countries on three continents. In addition, the country organizing the Games may propose that sports be included or removed depending on their strength in the Games or on the climatic or economic conditions. Finally, the IOC votes on whether they are accepted or not.
Out with the old and in with the new; some of the sports that will no longer be a part of the Games are as follows:
Basque Pelota
Lacrosse
Tug-of-War
Cricket
What are you most excited to see come to the stage? Let us know in the comments below!
