After Brazil, Tokyo is now getting ready for Summer Olympics four years from now
After the successful hosting of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil of Summer Olympics that ended on August 21, Tokyo, Japan is now getting ready to face the biggest sporting events in the world.
The next three Olympics are in Asian countries that have already held games: Tokyo’s Summer Games in 2020, sandwiched between Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 and in Beijing in 2022.
This will come as a relief to the International Olympic Committee after two trying games in Sochi, Russia, and Rio.
On Sunday, the governor of Tokyo received the Olympic flag Sunday in the official handover ceremony from her Rio counterpart, Mayor Eduardo Paes.
Because of this, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is now preparing for a strenuous workout with the next Summer Olympics headed her way.
“I don’t think that you can ever relax,” said John Coates, the IOC member who heads the inspection team for Tokyo. “There are some big issues, even for Tokyo.”
“I hope the flag is not too heavy,” she joked the day before. “Although I have trained my muscles to receive it properly.”
The new sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. The Tokyo Games will feature 33 sports and about 11,000 athletes, compared to the usual number of 28 sports and 10,500 athletes.
Baseball and softball will return to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, but there is no guarantee the sports will remain beyond that year.
Four other sports — karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing — will also be a part of the program in Tokyo. The International Olympic Committee formally approved the additions on August 3.
Beginning with the 2020 Games, each Olympic host can propose adding sports with national appeal. The I.O.C. has also been eager to attract younger audiences and hopes that sports like skateboarding and surfing will do so.
The new sports may give Japan some advantages, particularly in baseball and softball, which are very popular in the country.
On the newly-concluded Rio Olympics, Japan won 41 medals in Rio, topping its previous record of 38.
Look for the home nation to get another medal bounce from being host.