With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 21, there are a total of 339 events across 33 sports at this summer’s Olympic games. What is the full list of competitions and events, and which ones are new for the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics?
Summer Olympic events
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Basketball
- 3×3 Basketball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Canoe
- Slalom
- Sprint
- Cycling
- BMX Freestyle
- BMX Racing
- Mountain Bike
- Road Race
- Time Trial
- Cycling Track
- Diving
- Equestrian
- Dressage
- Eventing
- Jumping
- Fencing
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Artistic
- Rhythmic
- Trampoline
- Handball
- Hockey
- Judo
- Karate
- Kata
- Kumite
- Modern Pentathlon
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Softball
- Sport Climbing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Artistic Swimming
- Marathon Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Beach Volleyball
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
- Freestyle
- Greco-Roman
What are the five new events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020/2021?
Initially, there were 28 sports, alongside the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, due to take place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In 2015, five extra sports were proposed to the International Olympic Committee. All five were approved in 2016 and were initially included for the 2020 Olympics only.
Baseball and Softball
Baseball and softball will return as a summer Olympic event in Tokyo after being removed following the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. It was an official event for the previous five Olympics, making its official debut at Barcelona in 1992. Before that, baseball was played as a demonstration or exhibition event at eight games.
Cuba has appeared in every final so far, winning three gold medals. The United States and South Korea are the only other nations to have won a gold medal.
Softball first appeared in the Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta. Multiple efforts were made to secure its inclusion prior to that. However, following the addition of baseball in 1992, softball followed four years later. Only four teams have ever won a medal, with the United States winning gold four times and silver once. Japan is the only other nation to win gold.
Karate
Having campaigned since the 1970s for the inclusion of karate at the Olympics, it was not a smooth ride to add it to the Tokyo Olympics. In 2013, the committee initially decided karate would not be included as a summer Olympics event at Tokyo 2020. Yet, in 2015, it was then shortlisted again and approved in 2016.
Sport Climbing
Sport climbing will also be making its debut as a summer Olympic event in Tokyo 2020. There will only be one medal available for each of the men and women. Sport climbing will see three disciplines of climbing combined: bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing. Following criticism, the 2024 Olympics will see climbing have two medals each for men and women, with speed climbing separated out from the other two.
Surfing
A third debutant sport on the list is surfing, which will be held on Shidashita Beach in Chiba. As the event is being held at a beach and not an artificial pool, the dates for the competition are not set in stone. Depending on the wave conditions, the medals for both men and women will be decided over four days between July 25 and August 1.
Skateboarding
The final sport making its debut as a summer Olympics event at Tokyo 2020 is skateboarding. There will be a total of four medal competitions, two for men and two for women. Between July 25 and 26, the street medals will be decided. Moreover, the park medals will be handed out between August 4 and 5.
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Ben Rolfe is a content director at Pro Football Network and is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can find him on Twitter @BenRolfePFN.