Five Sports Added To Tokyo 2020 Olympics

03 Aug 2016 | tshego

Share on

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed five new sports for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Added to the Olympic line-up is skateboarding, surfing, karate, climbing and baseball/softball, which do not replace any of the 28 already on the schedule.

The extra five sports will include 18 events and involve hundreds of athletes, only baseball and softball featured separately between 1992 and 2008, with none of the other sports featuring before.

The IOC is hoping that the new sports will “take sport to the youth” after the five were recommended by Tokyo organisers in July and unanimously backed by the executive board.

IOC president, Thomas Bach said: “We want to take sport to the youth. With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us. We have to go to them.”

Tokyo 2020, president, Yoshiro Mori added: “The inclusion of the package of new sports will afford young athletes the chance of a lifetime to realise their dreams of competing in the Olympic Games – the world’s greatest sporting stage – and inspire them to achieve their best, both in sport and in life.”