Heads up, Olympic fans!
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to add 5 new sports, which are baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing, to the Olympic program for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. Apparently, the new categories were all recommended by the Tokyo organisers recently.
According to BBC, the executive board of the IOC described the new sports as “a dynamic and exciting package” and hoped that the “innovative” move will draw in more younger audiences. The addition does not replace any of the 28 already on the Tokyo schedule and it is expected to add at least 18 events and 474 athletes to the Summer Games in 2020.
“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,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.
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Besides that, Tokyo Olympics 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said that the inclusion of the new sports can help many young aspiring athletes to realise their dreams of competing in the Games.
The Olympic Games are the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. They are divided into a summer and winter Games, held every 4 years by a single city. This year, the Summer Games take place in Rio, Brazil from 5th – 21st August.
What do you think about the new sports? Do you think the addition is a good move? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below :)
Source: BBC.
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