Baseball, karate, skateboarding, climbing and surfing have made it to the final list of sports that could feature at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The organizing committee for the 2020 Games (Tokyo2020) chose the five sports from a list of eight finalists. Bowling, squash and wushu – a Chinese martial art – failed to make the cut.
In total, the five new sports would add 18 additional events and 474 athletes to the 2020 programme of sports.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Tokyo2020 said: “These sports represent both traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, all of which are popular both in Japan and internationally.
“They will serve as a driving force to further promote the Olympic movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal, and will add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide, reflecting the Tokyo 2020 Games vision.”
The recommendations will now be submitted to the International Olympic Committee, which will make a final decision in a meeting in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.
