June 22, 2015

Tokyo 2020 Committee Releases Short List of New Sports: Eight sports are in line for addition to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: baseball/softball, bowling, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing, wushu, and karate. Tokyo 2020 organizers will make their recommendation this September, with the IOC making its final decision next August. The list of non-recommended sports was a vast one: air sports, bowls, bridge, chess, dance sport, floorball, flying disc, football, korfball, netball, orienteering, polo, racquetball, sumo, tug of war, underwater sports and waterski and wakeboard.

posted by Etrigan to olympics at 02:13 PM - 7 comments

I don't even know how American football would work in a seventeen day span - could you responsibly play more than three games in that timeframe?

posted by dfleming at 02:18 PM on June 22, 2015

I wonder if they'd go to some scaled down version of football (5 minute quarters, full stop time). I don't understand how else they could do it. Maybe video game football...

I assumed baseball was going to be back in the Olympics if Japan was hosting. They are the two-time champs at the World Baseball Classic.

Roller sports? As in hockey? Or as in half-pipe/course flips/tricks?

Wushu? If it's just the synchronized/ballet aspect (taolu), then that's a waste of time. If it's the full contact fighting aspect (sanda), now you have my attention.

Surfing? Healthy athletes wearing skin tight outfits? Yeah, that'll be a TV draw for sure.

posted by grum@work at 02:35 PM on June 22, 2015

Roller Derby?

posted by ursus_comiter at 02:44 PM on June 22, 2015

Roller Derby?

Oh, now I'd definitely watch.

posted by grum@work at 02:49 PM on June 22, 2015

Roller sports? As in hockey? Or as in half-pipe/course flips/tricks?

Roller derby, man. I have never once met so many women in my life I simultaneously had a crush on and was absolutely terrified of than at a derby. Perfect TV sport.

posted by dfleming at 02:53 PM on June 22, 2015

Squash seems like a no brainer. Very widely played and demanding high athleticism.

I'd live to see some climbing events too. Such great athletes.

posted by rumple at 09:53 PM on June 22, 2015

Skateboard would be cool too. Amazing skills and it would attract a good demographic which always seems to matter in these things.

I'd watch downhill longboard races!

posted by rumple at 01:39 AM on June 23, 2015

You're not logged in. Please log in or register.