5 sports move closer to approval for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Baseball? Oh no, it was dropped for a very good reason. If Japan wasn't hosting it would rightly still be in the trash. Gender equality in baseball? Where? Certainly not in Japan or the US.

Baseball? Oh no, it was dropped for a very good reason. If Japan wasn't hosting it would rightly still be in the trash. Gender equality in baseball? Where? Certainly not in Japan or the US.

Did you read the entire article? Baseball joined together with women's softball for consideration. Both are sports that Japan figures that they have a great chance at getting a medal, potentially gold, so from their point of view it's a no brainer.

Baseball joined together with women's softball for consideration.

Two different sports with different rules and a vast inequality in gender participation. My point exactly, both sports separately can't attract enough attention to justify their inclusion. No googling, who are the world champions in softball? Can you name a softball player from an international team?

I'm all for karate being included though

Agree sensei, judo or taekwondo being olympic sports karate should be there too (and should have been for a long time).

Re new/fun sports, we used to have what was then called 'demonstration sports' at the olympics. Why not give all new sports a crack as demo sport first rather than give them full status straight away? It worked for 'ski ballet': didnt take long to realise it was rubbish and just plain silly. No doubt baseball or softball are real sports but 4/5 of the world just dont care.

Re skateboarding, again like most kids born in the 70s I had one at some point but in my mind it was a/not a sport b/ not mainstream/part of the sports business that olympics have become. Same with surfing.

The Olympics are gradually edging toward becoming a parody of their own ideals. What's next--fly fishing???

I am for Karate and Skate Boarding, but surfing? Waves are temperamental things controlled by nature.

Baseball in any form is so boring.

Well we have trampoline jumping already. Why not skateboarding as well?

Why not Pokemon Go? Or Cosplay?

Two different sports with different rules and a vast inequality in gender participation. My point exactly, both sports separately can't attract enough attention to justify their inclusion. No googling, who are the world champions in softball? Can you name a softball player from an international team?

You don't get the rationale behind why they joined together do you? Doesnt matter if I google it or not softball and baseball joined because they had a better chance of getting included together than separately.

Japan is a baseball mad country, and since the women's softball team is strong as well, and compared to other sports, they have a very good chance to medal in both.

I actually saw an ad for a push to include full-tilt poker as an Olympic sport. Would't surprise me if it gets included. I hope all of these sports make it in, or make it in again (I am FOR Baseball/Softball being reintroduced)...

You don't get the rationale behind why they joined together do you? I do and they are still hugely unpopular and are gender biased. Japan also does well in Sumo but if they don't let women do it, it will never be an Olympic sport.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today agreed to add baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing to the sports programme for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Here they are....decided upon today.