The Olympic Agenda 2020, approved in December 2014, provides a road map for the International Olympics Committee (IOC), whose focus is on sustainability, credibility and bringing the games to the youth.
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In case you didn’t know, the IOC allows the Organizing Committee in host countries to propose new or re-introduce sports after an evaluation process. For Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Tokyo Organizing Committee submitted a proposal to incorporate karate, skateboarding, Sports Climbing and Surfing, and the return of baseball and softball. Here’s a look at what the new slate of sports brought to the 2020 Olympics table.
Karate
Karate is a martial art that originated in Okinawa, Japan, in 1868 and spread worldwide after World War II. Its popularity and history saw the Organizing Committee propose its introduction during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It took place between 5th to 7th August at Nippon Budokan. The two techniques that were featured at the Olympics are kata and kumite.
The kata technique is judge by how well-choreographed the movements of your martial art are, while in the kumite technique, two competitors spar against each other in three weight divisions. Sandra Sanchez, better known as the ‘queen of kata,’ and Damian Quintero from Spain took home the gold medal in the kata competition.
Ivet Goranova of Bulgaria, Jovana Preković of Serbia, and Feryal Ashraf Abdelaziz of Egypt won the female 55kgs,61kgs, and +61kgs tournaments, respectively. In addition, Steven Da Costa of France, Luigi Busà of Italy, and Sajjad Ganjzadeh of Iran won the male kumite 67kgs,75kgs, and +75kgs tournaments, respectively. Unfortunately, karate has not been approved for the 2024 Paris Games.
Skateboarding
In respect to the Olympic Agenda 2020, the International Olympic Committee introduced the skateboarding competition to incorporate the younger generation in the Olympics. The skateboarding event was held at the Aomi Urban Sports Venue. The two disciplines introduced were park and street skateboarding in both the men’s and women’s events and are judged based on each run.
Park skateboarding, also known as a skate park, is held in a dome-shaped bowl, and participants are judged based on how good their flow is while performing tricks. Street skateboarding involves things you will find on a street such as benches, rails, and stairs.
In the street skateboarding women’s competition, teenagers run the show as Japan’s Momiji Nishiya,13, won the gold medal while Sakura Yosozumi, 19, collected gold in park skateboarding. In the men’s competition, Keegan Palmer of Australia won the park skateboarding event, while Yuto Horigome won the gold medal in the street skateboarding event. Skateboarding has been approved for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sports Climbing
Sport climbing competition began in the year 1985, and its popularity in indoor climbing has seen it debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The event combined all three disciplines that are speed, bouldering, and lead. In speed climbing, two participants compete against each other on a 15m wall, whereas in bouldering, athletes conquer a fixed number of routes on a 4.5 m wall. On the other hand, lead climbing entails trying to climb a 15m wall in a specified time.
Unlike other sports climbing events where the three disciplines are performed as separate events, the event posed a challenge to many competitors skilled in either one or two disciplines. In the men’s event, Alberto Ginés López, a professional rock climber from Spain, took home the gold medal, and in the women’s event, Janja Garnbret of Slovenia took home the crown.
Surfing
Duke Kahanamoku, who is well known as the godfather of modern surfing, dreamt of having surfing as an Olympic sport has finally come to pass at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The surface water sports event took place at Tsurigasaki Beach per the guidelines given by the International Surfing Association. The competition ran for 20 to 25 minutes and involved four competitors who went head-to-head, and the best two proceeded to the next round.
The sport was judged based on variety, difficulty, and types of maneuvers performed by a participant. Italo Ferreira of Brazil won the men’s surfing event while the women’s surfing events Carissa Moore collected the top prize. The event has been approved for the Paris 2024 Games but will be held in Tahiti.
The Legacy of Tokyo Games
The new sports, which have also been approved for the 2024 installment, mark a new era of youth participation in the Olympics. Apart from being an incredibly thrilling addition to the competitions, the debut of skateboarding in particular at the Tokyo games was one for the books. It will be interesting to see what other youthful games will be approved for future Olympics in the coming decades.
