The inclusion of five new sports in the Olympic Games programme moved closer following recommendations made by the board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, surfing and baseball – sports with a “key focus on youth” – will make their first appearance at Tokyo 2020 if the move is approved during an IOC meeting in Rio in August.

The inclusion of the sports would add 18 events and 474 athletes to the Olympic programme in Tokyo, with each of the five sports having an equal number of teams for men and women.

According to the IOC, the sports “represent a combination of well-established and emerging sports with significant popularity in Japan and beyond”.

Governing body reaction:

Karate
“The resolution adopted today by the executive board of the IOC is a great step towards the final decision to be taken in Rio de Janeiro. The ratification of this proposal will represent a historic occasion for all karatekas around the world to be part of the Olympic dream under the World Karate Federation”, declared the WKF president Antonio Espinós.

Skateboarding
"Today’s announcement by Tokyo 2020 marks an important milestone in skateboarding’s short Olympic history which started with a first Olympic experience at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in summer 2014. This decision recognises the growth and popularity of skateboarding, and we appreciate that the IOC has made it possible for new sports to be added to the Games. The International Skateboarding Federation and the skateboarding community are ready, equipped and well positioned to help make the first Olympic appearance of skateboarding an amazing one for skaters and fans alike," said ISF president Gary Ream.

Surfing
“This is a wonderful moment for our sport and for the global Surfing family. Our relationship with the IOC and inclusion in the Olympic Games has been a strategic priority for the International Surfing Association for many years and we are thrilled that we are now one step closer to realising our Olympic dream. I’d like to express our sincere thanks to the IOC Executive Board for providing us with this amazing opportunity,” said ISA president, Fernando Aguerre.

“We are immensely proud of our achievements and the core values that our sport represents. Surfing has incredible youth appeal and a unique culture that would offer huge value to the Olympic Movement. We are aware that the hard work does not stop here. Today’s news gives us renewed energy and determination and we look forward to working with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 as we continue on the road to the IOC Session in Rio.”

Baseball/softball
“It is an honour for our global sport – and a great day for our millions of male and female athletes, and fans around the world – to be represented within this new and innovative youth-focused Olympic sports package,” said World Baseball and Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari. “On behalf of our sport, we thank IOC President Thomas Bach for his Agenda 2020 vision – which has sparked this Olympic evolution – and the entire IOC Executive Board for today’s recommendation.

“The WBSC also reconfirms our deepest gratitude to Tokyo 2020 leadership for placing its trust in our sport. Olympic Baseball and Softball in Japan would be the biggest and most exciting international competition in the history of our sport, and would help the Olympic Games touch the entire host nation and worldwide community.”

The International Federation of Sport Climbing has yet to comment on the development