With Olympic competition now underway, the IOC agreed to a quintet of new sports for Tokyo 2020, announcing the return of baseball/softball and the additions of karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing to the lineup. Plans call for staging the skateboarding and sports climbing events to take place in temporary venues installed in urban settings in a move to grow younger audiences. 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/softball.

“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,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Tokyo 2020’s balanced proposal fulfils 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.”

“This is a game-changing moment for Surfing,” said ISA President, Fernando Aguerre. “We are already seeing increased popularity of the sport across the world and the Olympic Games will provide an incredible platform to further showcase Surfing and its core values. With its unique and modern blend of sport performance, style and youth culture, Surfing will help deliver something special to the Games.”