TOKYO, Sept. 29 (UPI) — Tokyo Olympic organizers on Monday sent their wish list of sports to add to the 2020 games. Together, they were something old, something new, something returning and something blue.
With five years until the Olympics return to Tokyo, organizers sent a list of recommendations to the International Olympic Committee that included surfing, skateboarding, baseball/softball, karate and sport climbing. Under new Olympic rules, host cities can request certain sports be added to their games. The IOC will make its final approval in August 2016.
Baseball and softball would be returning to the Olympics for the first time since the Beijing games in 2008. Karate would be joining fellow martial art Judo in competition. Sport climbing, an outdoor sport now done in gyms, would be making its debut. Skateboarding is a cousin to snowboarding, now an established hot ticket in winter Olympic games. Surfing represents the biggest leap for Olympic inclusion. The sport requires an ocean with good swell conditions, or at least a highly advanced wave pool. If those challenges are met, surfing could become the next hot ticket.
Bowling, squash and wushu didn’t make the cut.
“This package of events represents both traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, all of which are popular both in Japan and internationally,” said the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee in a statement.
International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre called the recommendation “extraordinary,” and said “Surfing embodies a cool, playful lifestyle that would add a completely new element to the program, helping the Games reach new fans through live action and stunning broadcast opportunities.”
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