The 2016 Rio Olympic Games have brought the world together and exposed people around the world to new sports. This is made possible by the International Olympic Committee consistently expanding the sports that are represented in the games. One of the newest olympic sports is rugby, which was added to the 2016 Rio Olympics along with golf.
Similarly, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games hope to recreate some of the success seen at the 2016 games by adding 5 new sports to the already extensive list of sports featured in the olympics.
These five sports are: Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing, and Sports Climbing.
Baseball/Softball: After their removal from the Olympics following the 2008 Beijing games, many assumed that baseball and softball would never be Olympic sports again. However, with the Olympics returning to Japan, one of the most baseball-crazed nations in the world, baseball and softball were added to the 2020 Olympic Games package that was later accepted by the International Olympic Committee. Despite the host nation being very much in favor with the return of baseball and softball to the Olympic program, the problems with baseball as an olympic sport are glaring. The first problem is that the amount of countries that can participate in baseball and softball at a high level are extremely limited and secondly, the Olympics conflict with nearly all professional baseball leagues around the world. As a result the top players around the world are likely not to play. Even if an agreement is reached where leagues would either take a break or let players leave to play in the Olympics, many players have already hinted that they would not play because of the risk of injury and other adverse effects on their professional careers posed by playing in the Olympics.
Karate: This sport has been previously rejected by the International Olympic Committee on three separate occasions. Despite this, it has been approved and will be included in the 2020 Olympic games. This is likely due to the fact that the host nation, Japan, is known as the birthplace of modern karate, as karate saw its popularity increase astronomically after its arrival in Okinawa. So while it is unknown exactly how long karate will remain on the Olympic program, it is safe to say that the sport of karate will be extremely popular, especially to the local population, in the upcoming games.
Skateboarding: In it’s attempt to appeal to the youth, the Tokyo 2020 games have decided to include skateboarding. While many in the skateboarding community see this announcement as a huge step forward, others argue that the effect it will have will be harmful, taking away from what many see as the main purpose of skateboarding, self expression. With the skateboarding community split on how to react to the announcement of it’s inclusion in the games, it will be interesting to see if the top competitors from around the world decide to compete and how popular it will be as an olympic sport.
Surfing: Surfing has long pushed for its inclusion in the Olympics, but its bids to join the Olympics have been denied at five straight Olympics. However Tokyo, with its focus on appealing to the younger generations, has decided to give surfing a place in the Olympic program. For its first time in the Olympics, it has been agreed upon that the competition will preferably take place on the ocean instead of in an indoor simulation center. It has additionally been stated that there will be 20 women and 20 men surfing in the competition.
Sport Climbing: The last of the five sports added to the Olympics for the 2020 games is climbing, a sport that has recently become more popular due to increased access with the construction of indoor climbing facilities around the world. While the International Federation of Sports Climbing has expressed its excitement over being included in the Olympics, the way the event will take place will in the games will force athletes to change their method of preparation and quite possibly change the sport forever. The Olympic climbing competition will require athletes to compete in three different types of climbing: Lead, Speed and Bouldering. This makes the competition significantly more difficult for athletes because currently, most of the top climbers around the world specialize in only one of the disciplines.
Whether you have a strong connection to any of the five sports added to the 2020 Olympic games or not, it is clear that the Olympics are trying to branch out and appeal to people of all ages from across the world. If this trend continues, it is safe to say that the Olympics will be a fresh, ever changing, and entertaining event that continues to bring the world together for two weeks every four years.
