These are the five sports that will be debuting in Tokyo Olympics 2020

After having to wait for a whole year, the Tokyo Olympics this year will be witnessing the introduction of new sports in the arena. Covid-19 pandemic had postponed the Olympics by a year and this year, the city is all set to host the Olympics with the introduction of five such sports that have never been part of the mega event, at least in the recent times. 

There surely are some concerns regarding the Covid-19 situation but the International Olympics Committee has assured that it will not be losing out on any rough edges when it comes to ensuring safety of the athletes and all the arrangements are already in place at the Olympic village. 

The Tokyo games will kick off from July 23 and will be witnessing 33 sports, which is a record in itself, along with 339 medal events. All these events will be distributed in 42 venues. One of the most interesting things about the event is the introduction of new sports, which was much requested by the fans. 

One of the most anticipated sports to debut in Tokyo is Karate. Even though it is an extremely popular form of martial art and defense, it is still a classified sport. People have shown a lot of interest in making Karate part of the Olympics but it was not until the Tokyo Olympics that any decision was made. 

Karate will be a part of this year’s Olympics joining its distant cousins Judo and Taekwondo. The event will feature two types of Karate–Kata and Kumite. Both the forms are solo type and the player will be marked on seven technical criterias–tances, techniques, transitional movements, timing, correct breathing, focus and conformance.

Baseball and Softball are another new introductions to the games. In Japan, there is a huge following of baseball and events among the tournaments, the Nippon Professional Baseball league is only second to the Major league baseball talent. It was not a surprise when the Tokyo Olympic committee decided to introduce this sport in the 2020 games after 13 years. However, this sport is not just popular in Japan but also in the US. The last edition which saw this game as part of the event was held in 2000, where the USA had won the gold medal. 

Just like Baseball, Softball also saw a short run in the Olympics having returned only this year after 1996. In this sport too, the USA had the upper hand last time it was played in an Olympic arena. Softball will be a women-only sport while baseball will be a men-only event.

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Another exciting sport to be added this year is Skateboarding, which till a long time was not even considered a sport. However, things are bound to change after this as the street sport will be part of the 2020 games for the first time. It has also been approved for the Paris olympics scheduled for 2024. 

Sports climbing will also be making a debut in the Tokyo games. Just like skateboarding, sports climbing was also not considered mainstream sports and was always a part of sporting activities rather than a competitive event. But Tokyo games have acknowledged the amount of strength, flexibility, skill, and technique this sport requires and things might change here on. 

The event will be featured as a single event and the winner will be determined keeping in check three factors– speed, bouldering, and lead. 

Surfing will also bring a lot of excitement to the games as it will be one of the most spread out events among the newer ones. The event will take place in Tsurigasaki Beach in Ichinomiya nearly 45 miled from the Olympic stadium and like skateboarding, Surfing too has booked its spot for the Paris event. 

Different from the usual basketball you watch on television, 3×3 basketball will also be introduced in the 2020 games. It is a variation of the original form and is played three-sided with a basketball hoop. This three on three event will have both men’s and women’s teams. It is essentially played covering the half-court using one basket and the winner is decided when a team reaches 21 points. One o the catch here is that this game does not have a three-pointer rule.