
IOC Approves Five New Sports For Olympic Games In Tokyo 2020
Muhammad Rameez Published August 04, 2016 | 03:59 PM

PESHAWAR,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Augst,2016) : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thursday agreed to add baseball and softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing to the sports program for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The decision by the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro was the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic programme in modern history. Plans call for staging the skateboarding and sports climbing events in temporary venues installed in urban settings, marking a historic step in bringing the Games to young people and reflecting the trend of urbanization of sport. The Organizing Committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games proposed the five new sports in response to the new flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020. Today's vote was the culmination of a two-year process that began with the unanimous approval of the IOC's strategic roadmap in 2014.
The recommendation to give Organizing Committees the flexibility to propose new sports for their edition of the Games was intended to put even more focus on innovation, flexibility and youth in the development Olympic program. Tokyo 2020, the first Organizing Committee able to take advantage of the change, submitted its proposal for the five new sports to the IOC in September 2015. 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's balanced proposal fulfills all of the goals of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation that allowed it.
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 Games. Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said, The inclusion of the package of new sports will afford young athletes the chance of a lifetime to realize 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. 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 current athlete and event quotas are unaffected. The IOC considered a variety of factors when assessing the proposal, including the impact on gender equality, the youth appeal of the sports and the legacy value of adding them to the Tokyo Games. The inclusion of the new sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes, with equal numbers of women and men for all sports except baseball and softball, which will have the same number of teams but different player totals, because softball teams have 15 players whilst baseball teams have 24.
Tokyo 2020 will rely heavily on existing and temporary venues to stage the competitions. Discussions on the event program in the existing 28 Olympic sports for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are ongoing, and will be finalized by the IOC Executive board in mid-2017.
Related Topics
Recent Stories

India cannot take unilateral decision on Indus Water Treaty: Federal Minister fo ..

Drug trafficker gets 9-year jail

Zimbabwe Air Chief calls on Air Marshal Zaheer Sidhu

CDA signs MoU to digitize financial system aims for cashless Islamabad

Welcome ceremony for newly admitted held at Bakhtawar Cadet Collage

Suspending Indus water treaty by India violation of Int’l laws: Minister for D ..

Obesity among youth causing early heart attacks in Pakistan: Dr Wajiha Javed

MoU signed for upgrading of Gadani shipbreaking yard

Allama Iqbal Literary Awards Ceremony organizes in Quetta

Pakistan to launch Sovereign Domestic Green Sukuk in May: Khurram Schehzad

APC opposes proposed KP Mines & Mineral Bill 2025

Delegation from ITUC calls on acting speaker
More Stories From Sports
-
Irfan Mehsud becomes girst Pakistani to achieve 150 Guinness World Records
2 hours ago -
Rizwan reveals bold strategy behind skipping wicket keeping
3 hours ago -
Magnificent Pogacar soars to Fleche Wallonne triumph
4 hours ago -
USA coaches join hands with FBBA for Basketball training camp in Islamabad
5 hours ago -
HBL PSL X: Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans by seven wickets
6 hours ago -
Quetta Gladiators decide to get spinner Usman Tariq’s bowling action tested
6 hours ago
-
Ramiz Raja under fire on social media topic after mentioning IPL at PSL X presentation
6 hours ago -
PSL 2025 Match 13 Multan Sultans Vs. Islamabad United Live Score, History, Who Will Win
7 hours ago -
South Punjab’s first Padel Tennis Court to be built in 45 days in Multan: commissioner
8 hours ago -
Setback for Islamabad United as Rassie van der Dussen, Matt Short not available for PSL X matches
10 hours ago -
PSL X: Abrar Ahmed decides to leave head-nodding celebrations style
10 hours ago -
Neeraj Chopra Announces Historic Javelin Throw Event in Bengaluru, Arshad Nadeem’s Friendly Withdr ..
13 hours ago