The Olympic Games are always changing and evolving. This year, we got five new sports to cheer our hearts out for! Whether you enjoy bracket games of Baseball, stylized and form perfect karate, or the adventurous and flashy moves of surfing, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have a new sport perfect for you!
Surfing
With a two week period of waiting for the perfect weather conditions, this event is unlike any other at the games. Olympic surfing only has two gold medals to present this year, one for men’s shortboard and one for women’s shortboard. Scoring based on performance, power, and speed, this sport is unique in its adventurous competition.
Karate
Two different forms of Karate have made their Olympic debut this year. First, is Kumite in which two competitors face off against one another. This Karate Kid-like match has six gold medals to award, three to men and three to women in three different weight classes. The final two gold medals are awarded to the Kata form of Karate. Where Kumite is competitive, Kata is performative. With Kata, olympians are judged on their timing, movements, and correct stance. With a total of eight gold medals to give, Karate has the most medals of these new Olympic sports.
Skateboarding
A controversial inclusion to the games but one that we think is perfect is skateboarding. With a dedication of speed, form, and style, this sport is a perfect inclusion for the competitive and stylish nature of the Olympic Games. There are four gold medals attached to this sport, a men and women’s park skate event, and a men and women’s street skate event.
Baseball
Baseball and Softball were both added this year to the Olympics. Whether you enjoy America’s pastime or you just like the bracket style elimination of the team sports, these two new additions are perfect to watch! There are two baseball gold medals, one for the winner of the Baseball bracket and one for the winner of the Softball bracket.
Sport Climbing
A unique entry to the collection of Olympic events, Sport Climbing consists of three styles: speed climbing, bouldering, and lead climbing. While all three of these are styles of rock climbing, speed is drastically different from the other two. This stirred some controversy because the sport was only given two gold medals to award, one for women and one for men. The gold is awarded to the olympian who does the best across all three categories. Some professional climbers compare this to awarding one gold medal to the athlete that does the best in the 100m dash and the Marathon. This has already been corrected for later Olympics and the 2024 Summer Games in Paris will have four gold medals, separating speed climbing from the other forms.
3x3 Basketball
While not a new sport to the Olympics, Basketball got two new gold medals to award in a men’s and women’s 3 against 3 game. We thought this new form of Basketball was an interesting addition to the games.
Whatever you enjoy watching, the Olympics keep adding new and fun events for everyone! What other sports do you think should be included in the Olympics? With an ever evolving world, there are sure to be surprising and exciting new games every four years.