Tokyo is hosting the 2020 Olympics in which thousands of the top athletes from around the world will participate in; several changes were recently announced. The changes include new additions to sports events as well as events added back to the Olympic program. In our previous article, we listed the changes announced for archery, baseball, softball, basketball, and boxing, while we add several other changes this week.

Kayak/Canoe

Kayak/Canoe is another sports event in the Olympics where gender equality is considered since the addition of three games for women has been added. At the same time, three men’s events have been dropped from the Olympic program. New developments in the sprint for women is the C2 500 meter as well as C1 200 meter, which are one and two-person, while the men’s events dropped includes the K2 200 doubles kayak event. The second men’s event lost is the C1 200, and the new event added for men is the four-person K4 500. The women’s Ci made its Olympic debut in slalom when the C2 event for men was removed.

Cycling

At the 2008 Beijing Games BMX racing was introduced, although the BMX park contested at the X Games, is what will make its debut at the Olympic Games in 2020. For both BMX and skateboarding events, the park course will be used, which resembles an irregularly-shaped, empty swimming pool. The riders will have three runs, timed to show off their best routines to the judges.

Madison cycling is added back to the Olympic program after it was removed from the games in 2008. In the Madison event pairs of rider’s races across a set distance and there is a switching back procedure for who rests and who races.

Fencing

It will be the first time that the Olympic Games adds all six fencing team events to its program. Previously the event alternated between two games sitting out. The women’s team foil and men’s team sabre were never challenged in Rio, and in Tokyo, these will be part of the program. Other events added to the Olympic program is the women’s team epee, men’s team epee, women’s team sabre and men’s team foil.

Judo

The 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo was when Judo made its debut; it is a sports event that started in 1882 in Japan. The new events for 2020 include mixed team events and each nation gets to form a team of three women and three men in each of the three weight classes.

Karate

Karate is another event native to Japan, and this martial art form will be making its debut at the 2020 Olympic Games. The two disciplines include kumite and kata, broken down into weight classes; each team will consist of three women and men. Currently only one forms part of the game, which is where participants show their ability to perform karate movements.

Next week the changes to shooting, rowing, climbing, surfing and swimming will be discussed.