This idea of innovation will be repeated for Paris2024, in which the first three sports are repeated and to which break dancing will be added and Japanese-born karate to be part of the program. In addition to gender equality, which will be full for the first time in Paris2024 - in Japan women have 48.8 percent of the quotas -, the Games also seek to reduce the number of events and athletes, so the 11,092 competitors in Japan give way to just 10,500 within three years, and the number of gold medals will decrease from 339 to 329 in France. Surfing, climbing, skating and karate were added as they "represent a combination of well-established and emerging sports, with enormous popularity in Japan and other countries" and with "a strong capacity to attract young people".
Originally from Okinawa, which belonged to imperial China and is currently part of Japan, karate has been seeking Olympic integration since the 1970s, now making its debut at the Nippon Budokan, known for being the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts, especially judo , which debuted at the Games in 1964. Kumité, with three-minute bouts in various weight categories, and kata, which values technique on the tatami such as strength, speed and balance, in solo actions, without a fight, are the two disciplines that will award medals. In climbing, athletes of both sexes have challenges in which they test their difficulty, speed and endurance, with the gold medal going to whoever performs better in the combination of these different challenges.
In speed climbing, two opponents try to ascend a wall 15 meters high, placed at a 95º angle, faster than their opponent, on identical routes. In the endurance challenge, competitors climb as many fixed routes as possible in four minutes on a 4.5-metre wall equipped with safety mats: routes vary in complexity and climbers cannot practice in advance. As for the difficulty, the idea is, in six minutes, to try to climb as high as possible on a wall with more than 15 meters: if a climber falls, the height reached is registered, as there is only one attempt.
The skateboarding will have a street and park aspect, the first on a flat track full of obstacles: stairs, elevations / slopes, ramps, handrails, walls, while the second takes place in a structure in the shape of a swimming pool, enhancing up the artistic note of the exercises performed. The degree of complexity of the manoeuvres, elevation, speed, daring and originality, as well as the quality of execution and composition of the performance are judged for the final score.
In surfing, the idea is to wait for the ideal wave in which to present innovative and progressive maneuvers, with athletes betting on variety, speed, power and flow, in a performance that also rewards the degree of difficulty. The sum of the two most scored waves during the 30 minutes of each heat set the score for a competition that begins with groups of four/five opponents and, later, closer to the medals, with elimination in clashes between two surfers. This modality depends a lot on the sea conditions, as the state of the waves, the direction and strength of the wind, and the flow of the tides challenge the adaptability of the practitioners. The Tokyo2020 Olympic Games will be held from 23 July to 8th August, after having been postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.