2020 Olympics Are Becoming More Extreme – Is Winter Next?

By Daniel Bailey

It was recently announced that several new events are going to be in the lineup for the 2020 Olympics.

This move has been met with excitement from those within the community for these particular sports – many of whom will now have the opportunity to compete for a gold medal and to represent their countries. It has also raised speculation over which sports could be added next for both the Summer and Winter games.

Games To Be Added In 2020

After vetting each of these sports for the past few years, the Olympic committee has decided to add the following sports to the Tokyo Olympic Games – baseball, karate, rock climbing, skateboarding, softball and surfing. Each of these sports has followings around the globe, making them ideal for the Summer games.

However, there are challenges that each of these sports face, and for this reason they had not been added until now. For instance, surfing relies heavily upon good weather conditions, and this will prove a challenge not easily worked around for the upcoming games. Still, the Olympic committee is will to try and get around these challenges in attempt to bring new fans to the games.

Reasons For The Change

So why has the committee decided to add these new sports to the docket? The move – and the sports picked – was largely done to try and attract a younger audience. In a press release, the president of the IOC Thomas Bach stated “We want to take sport to the youth.” They are hoping that this will not only attract new people to become involved with the sports, but that it will increase the number of people watching on television.

The Olympic Games in Rio received some criticism for it’s failure to attract viewers, and this is not a trend the IOC can continue with. The IOC needs to make money in order to keep running, and by attracting younger viewers and participants, they hope to do this.

Other Sports To Be Added?

With a slate of games being added for the next Summer games, it may be a while before we see any more added. While changes are seldom to the Olympic games, that has not stopped speculation about other events that can be added in the future. Bowling and squash were on the shortlist for inclusion in the 2020 games, but did not make the final cut.

Ultimate Frisbee has recently been recognized by the IOC, and many are hoping to one day see it in the games. Which games ultimately get added will most likely depend on the global popularity, its ability to draw in new viewers, and the popularity in the hosting country.

Additions To The Winter Games

While more additions to the Summer games could be a ways away now that 2020 has finalized its decision, that does not include the Winter games. Decisions have already been made about the 2018 games – they need to be made 3 years in advance – the next time more events could be added to the Winter games are in 2022.

There are plenty of options to choose from, but if the IOC wants to continue to draw in younger viewers, and make the games more exciting, they should choose something like snow biking. People all over the world are using their MotoTrax Snow Bikes to race around in the snow, and adding an exciting event like this to the Olympic games is sure to bring in more viewers.

The Future of the Olympic Games

While the Olympics will most likely always contain events like gymnastics, hockey, and swimming, there is a lot of room to add more events. Each games the IOC decides which events to drop and which to add, meaning there is usually something new to look forward to at the next games.

This time around we will be treated to extreme sports like surfing and skateboarding, but who knows what the future has in store beyond that.

Perhaps the following Winter games will add their own extreme sports to follow suit, and the trend will continue for years to come. If the games begin to bring in younger viewers as the IOC hopes, you can be sure this will help to keep these extreme sports in the lineup, and to add even more.