The 2020 Summer Olympics will feature 33 sports and a record 339 events. Some of the sports are familiar, like basketball and swimming, while others, like karate and surfing, are new to the Olympics. Here’s a complete list of the sports that will be contested at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
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Introduction
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will see the introduction of five new sports to the lineup. These sports are baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, and surfing. While some of these sports have been contested at previous editions of the games as demonstration or exhibition events, 2020 will mark their first appearance as official medal events. Let’s take a closer look at each of these new additions to the Olympic program.
Archery
Archery was one of the original sports in the ancient Olympic Games and remained a part of the competition until it was dropped after the fourth century AD. In 1972, archery returned as an official sport, but it was not included in the Summer Olympics until 1988.
Archery is open to both men and women and is governed by the World Archery Federation. The federation is currently made up of 156 national member organizations, including the United States Archery Association. The rules of competitive archery are overseen by an International Jury.
In order to compete in the Olympics, archers must be 18 years of age or older and must belong to a national member organization of the World Archery Federation. There are three different events that archers can compete in: the individual event, the team event, and the mixed team event.
The individual event is further divided into two sub-events: the recurve event and the compound event. In order to be eligible to compete in either sub-event, archers must have reached a certain qualification score in an international competition that has been approved by the World Archery Federation.
The team event is open to teams of three archers from any nation that is a member of the World Archery Federation. Each team must consist of two men and one woman, or vice versa.
The mixed team event is similar to the team event, but each team must consist of one man and one woman from any nation that is a member of the World Archery Federation.
The qualifying rounds for all three events are conducted over two days. The top 32 athletes in both the recurve and compound events advance to the knockout stage, which determines medal placements. The top eight teams in the team event advance to a quarterfinal knockout stage, while the top four teams in the mixed team event advance directly to semifinals.
Badminton
Badminton is a racket sport played using a light frame racket and a shuttlecock.Badminton is commonly played as a casual outdoor activity in a garden or on a beach; however, the game can also be played as a competitive sport indoors ingyms, armories, or other adequate facilities. Invented in British India by British soldiers stationed there,[1] it is now one of the most popular sports in the world, particularly in Asia.
Baseball
The International Olympic Committee has approved five new sports for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo: baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. These additions bring the total number of sports at the 2020 Olympics to 33. Here’s a closer look at each of the new sports.
Baseball and softball have been on the Olympic program before, but were dropped after the 2008 Beijing Games. They will make their return to the Olympics in Tokyo, with each sport having both men’s and women’s competitions.
Karate will also make its Olympic debut in Tokyo, with two events: men’s and women’s kata (a set routine of moves) and men’s and women’s kumite (a sparring event).
Skateboarding will also make its Olympic debut in Tokyo, with two events: men’s and women’s street skateboarding and men’s and women’s park skateboarding.
Sport climbing, which includes disciplines like bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing, will also make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. There will be three medal events: one each for men’s and women’s lead climbing, and one for combined men’s and women’s speed climbing.
Surfing will also make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. There will be two events: shortboard (for waves under six feet) and longboard (for waves over six feet).
Basketball
Basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936. The United States has won the most gold medals, with a total of 15. Other nations that have done well in Olympic basketball include the Soviet Union, which won 11 gold medals before its dissolution in 1991, and Brazil, which has won nine.
Boxing
Boxing has been an Olympic sport since the ancient Greek games, and it has been part of the modern games since their inception in 1896. Men have competed in boxing at every Olympiad since 1904, and women first boxers entered the ring at the 2012 London Games.
There are two types of boxing at the Olympics: light flyweight (up to 48kg) and heavyweight (over 80kg). There are also two styles of boxing: traditional \”open-hand\” and \”gloved\”. In open-hand, fighters are only allowed to punch with their open fists; in gloved, they can use both open-hand punches and punches with gloves.
Open-hand boxing was the only style allowed at the ancient Greek Olympic games, and it remained the only style until the modern games were introduced in 1896. Gloved boxing was first included in 1904, but it was not until 2012 that women were allowed to compete in boxing.
Canoeing
Canoeing was first introduced as a Summer Olympic sport at the 1936 Berlin Games, and has been a part of the Summer Olympics ever since. Canoeing includes racing events in both the flatwater and whitewater disciplines. Canoeing events are divided into sprint and slalom races.
Flatwater sprint racing takes place on calm water, and is a timed event. The objective is to paddle from start to finish as quickly as possible. There are three types of canoe used in sprint racing: the kayak, which is paddled with a double-bladed paddle; the Canadian canoe, which is paddled with a single-bladed paddle; and the Va’a, which is paddled with an outrigger.
Whitewater slalom racing takes place on moving water, and features gates that competitors must pass through as they make their way down the course. The objective is to complete the course in the shortest amount of time possible, without missing any gates. There are two types of canoe used in slalom racing: the kayak and the canoe.
Cycling
Cycling has been an Olympic sport since the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. It was originally only for men, but women’s cycling was added to the programme in 1984. There are two types of cycling in the Olympics: road cycling and track cycling. Here’s a look at both.
Road Cycling
Road cycling made its Olympic debut at the inaugural Games in Athens in 1896. The first road race was held on a course from Marathon to Athens, and the distance was just over 40 kilometres (25 miles). The sport has come a long way since then, and the road course at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro was nearly 160 kilometres (99 miles) long.
There are two road events at the Olympics: the individual road race and the team time trial. In the individual road race, cyclists start together but race alone against the clock. The team time trial is similar, except that teams of four cyclists ride together and try to post the fastest time.
Track Cycling
Track cycling has been part of the Olympic programme since the first modern Games in Athens in 1896, making it one of the longest-standing Olympic sports. It takes place on a specially built track that is usually made of wood, although some newer tracks are made of concrete or other materials. The size of an Olympic-standard track is 250 metres (820 feet) around, with straights that are just over 50 metres (164 feet) long.
There are 10 track events on the Olympic programme: five for men and five for women. The men’s events are sprint, team sprint, keirin, omnium and Madison; the women’s events are sprint, team sprint, keirin, omnium and scratch race. In all but two of these events (the team sprint and Madison), cyclists compete alone against others or against the clock.
Equestrian
Equestrian was one of the original sports in the ancient Olympic Games and it has been part of the modern Games since their revival in Athens in 1896. There are three equestrian disciplines at the Olympic Games: dressage, eventing and jumping.
Fencing
The modern sport of fencing originated in Italy in the 14th century, and it was codified into its current form in the 19th century. Fencing is a competitive sport involving two opponents fighting with swords. The three main types of fencing are épée, foil, and sabre. There are also several other variations, such as team foil and team sabre.
Fencing is an Olympic sport, and it was first included in the Summer Olympics in 1896. It has been featured in every Summer Olympics since then, with the exception of the 1904 and 1928 Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan, and fencing is one of the sports that will be contested.
