Olympic Games: Sports await 2020 Tokyo verdict
28.09.2015 20:00
Eight sports will find out on Monday if they have been recommended for inclusion at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Games hosts are being given a chance to bring in one or more sports popular in their country to boost ratings and attract greater sponsorship.
The shortlisted federations are: baseball/softball, bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and wushu.
A recommendation is due at about 10:15 BST, with a final decision next August.
The Tokyo 2020 organisers' preferences will be considered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
A longer list of 26 possible was reduced in June, when bridge, chess and snooker were among those to miss out.
Baseball and softball, united under the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), are considered favourites to return to the Olympics for the first time since Asia last hosted the Summer Games, in Beijing in 2008.
Baseball/softball
Combined bid of men's baseball and women's softball. Both sports hugely popular in Japan.
Governing body: Says it has a total of 65 million people playing in more than 140 countries - the majority of whom are young children and teenagers.
Selling point: "World-class venues throughout Japan. Adding baseball/softball would be a low-risk/high-reward option, for both genders and youth."
Bowling
Not to be confused with bowls, covers tenpin and ninepin bowling. Officials collected nearly one million signatures from Japanese bowlers in support of their bid.
Governing body: Says it is one of most popular sports among girls and women in regions like South East Asia and the Middle East.
Selling point: "Chance to reach out and engage with new audiences. Highly accessible sport - people can watch athletes at highest level, then go and practice themselves."
Karate
Has never been contested at the Olympics. Judo, its fellow homegrown martial art, first joined in 1964, when Tokyo last hosted the Olympics, and was included from 1972 onwards.
Governing body: Says the sport, whose participants are 35% female, deserves a chance after unsuccessful bids to be a part of London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Selling point: "A sport with Japanese roots. Logistics of karate at an Olympic Games would appeal to the IOC as they would not need a specially-built venue and could take place over just three days."
Roller sports
Covers areas such as roller hockey, skateboarding, speed skating and artistic skating.
Governing body: Under the tagline "Rolling to Tokyo" says it has submitted a flexible plan and claims to be the most popular youth sport.
Selling point: "Proposed a five-year set of events - seminars, international cup, national and world championships, tours all throughout the country."
Sport climbing
Last year sport climbing was chosen by the IOC as a demonstration sport at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
Governing body: Says climbing walls are present in more than 140 countries with 35 million climbers all around the world. Average age is 23 years old; 40% are under 20.
Selling point: "An unforgettable spectacle - fresh, young sport capitalising on the urban/action trend."
Squash
Turned down for a main place at the 2020 Olympics, squash is pointing to a strong tradition in Japan, including current leading juniors Satomi Watanabe and Ryunosuke Tsukue.
Governing body: Says sport has had world champions, both men and women, from every continent.
Selling point: "A wonderfully gladiatorial sport played in 185 countries. Every squash player would regard participating in the Olympics as the pinnacle of their career."
Surfing
International Surfing Association hailed its shortlisting as a "milestone" as it looks to create new surf parks.
Governing body: Points to technical advancements which can create artificial waves of up to two meters high at the push of a button, such as at the inland surf lagoon at Snowdonia in Wales.
Selling point: "Surfing has inherently youthful values and a blend of high performance, style and digital connectivity."
Wushu
Commonly referred to as kung-fu, the collective term for the martial art practices which originated and developed in China, made popular by the likes of Bruce Lee and Jet Li.
Governing body: Says wushu is a fast-growing sport which promotes health, friendship and mutual respect.
Selling point: "Enjoys great popularity on You Tube among a dedicated, young tech-savvy audience. Will create an energy that global youth deeply connects with."
(BBC)
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