Baseball, softball will return to Olympics in 2020
The organizing committee approved the idea of these five sports being added for the Tokyo 2020 games.
The five sports were proposed by the organising committee of the Tokyo Games and Bach's idea is that all future hosts should be able to suggest their own choices - today's decision only relates to Tokyo and all five could be dropped in 2024.
Baseball and softball have both featured in previous Olympics, most recently in 2008, but the sports of karate, skateboarding and sports climbing will be featuring for the first time in the global event in 2020.
The IOC called it "the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic program in modern history".
This sport will have the same number of teams but different player totals, because softball teams have 15 players whilst baseball teams have 24. The International Olympic Committee chose five sports that they think will attract a younger audience to the summer games. It became an official medal sport at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, and the United States earned gold in 2000 and bronze in 1996 and 2008. The IOC voted them both out in 2005. Now there are about 25,000 active baseball and softball players in upwards of 300 clubs under the DBV umbrella. The games will be played at a shared venue In Yokohama.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred also welcomed the International Olympic Committee vote.
But the introduction of surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing has drawn criticism despite years of campaigning for their inclusion.
"What a truly great day for the sports of softball and baseball", U.S. softball executive director Craig Cress said. Well guess what: starting in 2020, those folks will get the opportunity to compete at the Olympics. If not, Carraro said, it will be "difficult for baseball to be included" beyond 2020. Skateboarding, with two street and two park events involving 40 competitors each (20 male, 20 female), will be in Tokyo. "They just want to make money off of something we love and live for".
"To make the competition more authentic and competitive, the surfing events will be held in the sea rather than on artificial waves".
Surfing will add something new to the Olympics program because of the cool and playful lifestyle it brings along with it, according to Fernando Aguerre, the president of the International Surfing Association.
A report shows that men continue to overwhelmingly outnumber women in leadership positions in the worldwide organizations that govern the Olympics.
The organizing committee approved the idea of these five sports being added for the Tokyo 2020 games.
The five sports were proposed by the organising committee of the Tokyo Games and Bach's idea is that all future hosts should be able to suggest their own choices - today's decision only relates to Tokyo and all five could be dropped in 2024.
Baseball and softball have both featured in previous Olympics, most recently in 2008, but the sports of karate, skateboarding and sports climbing will be featuring for the first time in the global event in 2020.
The IOC called it "the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic program in modern history".
This sport will have the same number of teams but different player totals, because softball teams have 15 players whilst baseball teams have 24. The International Olympic Committee chose five sports that they think will attract a younger audience to the summer games. It became an official medal sport at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, and the United States earned gold in 2000 and bronze in 1996 and 2008. The IOC voted them both out in 2005. Now there are about 25,000 active baseball and softball players in upwards of 300 clubs under the DBV umbrella. The games will be played at a shared venue In Yokohama.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred also welcomed the International Olympic Committee vote.
But the introduction of surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing has drawn criticism despite years of campaigning for their inclusion.
"What a truly great day for the sports of softball and baseball", U.S. softball executive director Craig Cress said. Well guess what: starting in 2020, those folks will get the opportunity to compete at the Olympics. If not, Carraro said, it will be "difficult for baseball to be included" beyond 2020. Skateboarding, with two street and two park events involving 40 competitors each (20 male, 20 female), will be in Tokyo. "They just want to make money off of something we love and live for".
"To make the competition more authentic and competitive, the surfing events will be held in the sea rather than on artificial waves".
Surfing will add something new to the Olympics program because of the cool and playful lifestyle it brings along with it, according to Fernando Aguerre, the president of the International Surfing Association.
A report shows that men continue to overwhelmingly outnumber women in leadership positions in the worldwide organizations that govern the Olympics.
