Olympics: The five new sports set to debut at Tokyo Games

These sports will provide new opportunities to the athletes.

The whole world is going through an unprecedented time. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay indoors for the last one and half years. It has had its adverse effects on the field of sports as well. Many sporting events had to be either cancelled or delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic, including the Tokyo Olympics.

The 32nd edition of the summer Olympics got postponed due to the pandemic last year, but now it is just a few months away. It is almost knocking on the door. The Organizing Committee has made it clear that due to the coronavirus wave across the world, no foreign spectators will be allowed inside the stadiums. So, fans across the world will be forced to enjoy the excitement from the comfort of their drawing rooms.

The Tokyo Olympics will feature a total of 33 sports, which also includes five new ones. This decision was taken way back at the 129th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was proposed by the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Games.

Now, Let us take a look at the five new sports which have been included at the 2020 Olympics:

5. Baseball and Softball

This is a very popular sport in countries like the United States and Japan. Technically, these two are not new Olympic sports. To put the matter straight, Baseball and Softball will be re-introduced at the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing games. At the Beijing Olympics, the world first saw the appearance of these two sports.

Baseball and Softball are quite similar to one another, with small differences. Softball uses a smaller playing area, with a shorter distance between the pitcher and the batter compared to Baseball. The ball is larger and less dense. The bat is 34 inches in maximum height, while in Baseball we have bats of 42 inches. Baseball is a big sport in Japan and the nation is ranked No. 1 in the world.

4. Karate

Karate is being introduced at the Olympic Games for the first time. It will make its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Both men and women athletes will be competing to win the medals up for grab in Kata (forms) and Kumite (sparring) events.

It will take place at the Nippon Budokan, where the very first Karate World Championships took place in 1970. This game will involve three weight categories. Men will be competing in 67kg, 75kg, +75kg category, while women will be participating in 55kg, 61kg and +61kg.

3. Surfing

This is a game where competitors have to fight literally against Mother Nature to win the medals. Surfing involves a person's mastery against the huge waves of the ocean.

The world's best surfers will make their debut at the Tokyo Games. They will compete on the Pacific coast of Japan. The Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba prefecture will host the first-ever surfing event to be organized at the Olympics. Both men's and women's categories have been included in the event.

2. Sport climbing

It is literally the sophisticated form of Rock Climbing. In this discipline, artificial rocks will be made where climbers need to compete and showcase their ability. In Sport Climbing participants needs to climb the artificial walls. It will feature three main types of climbing competitions which are lead, speed and bouldering.

Speed will pit two climbers against each another on a 15m wall, while athletes have to go through some fixed routes on a 4.5m wall within a specified time-frame in bouldering. In lead climbing, athletes will try to climb as high as possible on a 15m wall within a specified time.

1. Skateboarding

Skateboarding is one of the most popular sports across Europe, Australia and many other continents. There will be two categories of skateboarding at the Tokyo Games. The street category will have a straight route, where participants need to skate through the stairs, handrails, boxes and benches.

The park category will take place on a surface with slopes and complicated curves, to make life a bit tougher for the competitors. However, not all skateboarders are particularly happy about the sport being included in the Games, sharing fears that widespread commercialization will jeopardize the culture of the sport. 

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