IOC agrees to add five new sports for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday agreed to add Baseball-Softball, Karate, Skateboard, Climbing Sports and surfing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The decision was taken by the 129th IOC session being held in Rio de Janeiro.

The Organising Committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games proposed the five new sports in response to the new flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, Tokyo 2020’s balanced proposal fulfils all of the goals of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation that allows more sports to be included. 

Taken



together, the five sports are an innovative combination of established and emerging, youth-focused events that are popular in Japan and will add to the legacy of the Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said, 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 additional sports in Tokyo will not impact the athlete or event quotas of existing Olympic sports or be binding on future host cities. The inclusion of the new sports will add 18 events.