With 5 new sports added to the 2021 Summer Olympics, they’ll be even more action-packed excitement piling onto the Olympic agenda.
This year’s Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan from July 23rd to August 8th, but don’t go booking any flights, as Japan is going through its own funk right now. In fact, the “no foreigners” rule is in effect.
And for you Japanese residents excited about being spectators, you haven’t lucked out either. In recent developments, the International Olympic Committee has now banned you from attending and watching the live events as well.
Hopefully, they’ll inject “cheering” soundtracks into the live feed just like TV sitcoms do with the laugh tracks. We don’t want the athletes to feel like nobody’s watching, do we?
How will the 2021 Summer Olympic athletes receive their medals?
Since isolation is the theme for this year’s summer Olympics, the winners will be served their medal on a tray and they’ll put it around their neck themselves. Sounds a lot like butlers will be prowling the fields. And we know a thing or two about butlers.
There’s still good news on the horizon for you die-hard sports fans. With tickets originally going from US$4,800 to US$19,000 per person for VIP hospitality passes, you can take those savings and buy yourself a nice Lazy-Boy chair and order some wings.
You’ll probably have a little leftover to fly in your own butler – that should make you feel like you’re actually there on the field!
What are the new sports added to the 2021 Olympics?
Baseball/Softball
Although these are 2 separate events, we’re grouping them just as the International Olympic Committee has. If you’re familiar with one, the other won’t be hard to follow. Bigger ball in softball and the pitches are underhand, tossed from a flat ground, not a mound. Simple enough.
In case you missed it, men’s baseball and women’s softball have been absent the last 2 years of the Olympic Summer Games. It may be America’s favorite pastime, but not wildly popular worldwide.
In fact, only 6 countries will be participating. They should try serving Dodger Dogs. That might pique some international interest.
Surfing
Geez, about time. Men and women shortboard surfers hit the waves at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach in Ichinomiya, Chiba, Japan. Each competitor will get to tread the waters for 20-25 minutes until they catch their big wave and work their acrobatic magic.
Each wave can only have one surfer at a time, so hopefully no pushing and shoving as we see in some territorial beaches in California. Surfer Gangs we say? Yeah, that’s actually a thing.
In fact, athletes may lose points for failing to use common surfer etiquette, which rules that the surfer closest to the peak of a wave has the right of way for that wave.
Ichinomiya is a small beach town of around 12,000 residents but sees around 600,000 surfers in a normal year. So there should be plenty of stellar waves for all to hang ten.
Karate
Considering the history of karate can be traced back some 1,400 years, This is another shocker it has taken so long to reach the Olympics.
The World Karate Federation claims there are 100 million karate practitioners around the world, so we expect this to be a welcoming and much anticipated Olympic sport.
There will be 2 types of disciplines for men and women. The first is called “kata” where the athletes demonstrate offensive and defensive moves against a virtual opponent. This displays speed, rhythm, balance, and strength. Kind of like ballet with a kick.
The second is “kumite” which is actual sparring. The 2 opponents have 3 minutes to earn points by landing strikes, kicks, or punches with good form, power, and control on the target area of their competitor’s body.
The most points win unless someone takes an 8-point lead. In that case, the match is over as someone’s obviously taking a beating that shouldn’t be televised.
Skateboarding
Once a sport dominated by rebels and misfits, we’ve come a long way on this one thanks to American skateboard legend Tony Hawk.
This guy turned pro when he was just 14 years old, and dedicated all his years going forward to giving the sport the attention it deserves. Easy to do when you’re the World Champion 12 times over.
If you like watching gravity-defying sports, then the Olympic skateboarding event will give us all a front-row seat to thrills and spills. We’re also adding Tony Hawk to our list of favorite philanthropists.
Tony founded The Skatepark Project, which has given away more than $10 million to over 600 skatepark projects throughout the world. The foundation helps underserved communities create safe and inclusive skateparks for youth.
Sport Climbing
If you’ve ever watched a moving where the hero jumps from building to building or boulder to boulder effortlessly and poetically, then you’re probably watching a stuntman doing Parkour moves.
Now imagine two competitors racing each other through that environment. This is speed climbing and one of three disciplines we’ll see at the 2021 Summer Olympics. They’ll be secured with ropes and race each other to the top of a 15-meter high wall.
The other two are boulder climbing and lead climbing. Boulder climbing involves climbing a 4-meter high wall as fast as they can within 4 minutes. In lead climbing, athletes will try to climb as high as they can on a 15-meter high wall within 6 minutes.
If they both reach the top within that time, then the fastest climber wins. The International Federation Of Sport Climbing has some nice videos that’ll queue you into the sport. These are cliffhangers in the true sense.
Conclusion
We’re excited about these 5 new sports additions we’ll be seeing this year. We are all going to get that prime, front-row seat at the 2021 Summer Olympics thanks to better technology in televised sporting events and advanced drone cameras which can cost up to US$40,000 each.
We’ll not only be watching the action but we’ll also be submersed in it – all while nibbling on a hot wing. Maybe Tony Hawk can give us tips on getting the word out about those Dodger Dogs. Baseball needs to put on a better game face when it comes to the Olympics.
