Athletics
The Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off on July 23, one year after they were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
These summer games will have six new sports, proposed by the Tokyo organizers to add events that are popular in Japan.
Here’s what will be new at Tokyo 2021:
- 3-on-3 basketball
Who will be competing: Men and women. There will be eight teams on both sides. Qualifying tournaments are ongoing.
How it’ll work: Rosters consist of four players. Games are played to 21 or the team in the lead after 10 minutes.
- Surfing
Who will be competing: Men and women, 40 surfers (2o each). The field consists of qualifiers from several international tournaments. Australia, Brazil, France, Japan, Peru, and the US all have two surfers in both the men’s and women’s fields.
- Skateboarding
Who will be competing: Men and women. There will be 80 total skaters, 40 in each discipline. The field is made up of 26 countries.
- Climbing
Who will be competing: Men and women, 20 of each.
: There are three disciplines — speed, bouldering, and lead climbing — but only one set of medals.
- Karate
Who will be competing: Men and women. 80 athletes total, with only one athlete per country or region.
There are two disciplines: kata and kumite.
- Freestyle BMX
Who will be competing: Men and women, nine riders each.
Riders will have two 60-second runs to make their way through a park, performing tricks that are judged by difficulty, execution, style, air, and more.