Olympics

Baseball, softball back as Olympic sports for Tokyo 2020

Five sports, including baseball/softball, skateboarding and surfing will feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the IOC voted them in on Wednesday as it looks to revamp the Games programme to attract a younger audience.

Skateboarding, surfing, karate, sport climbing also added

Team Canada, the 2015 Pan Am Games gold medallist, will get a chance to challenge for an Olympic medal after baseball was approved for the 2020 Tokyo Games by the IOC. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)

By Karolos Grohmann, Reuters

Five sports, including baseball/softball, skateboarding and surfing will feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the IOC voted them in on Wednesday as it looks to revamp the Games programme to attract a younger audience.

The International Olympic Committee unanimously rubber-stamped the decision taken by its executive board in June, approving the inclusion of skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing, karate and a joint baseball/softball bid, which is expected to significantly boost local support for the Olympics.