Big Day Looms for Sports Seeking Place at Tokyo 2020

(ATR) The World Baseball Softball Confederation opens the presentations of eight sports to Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday.

Baseball-softball, bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and wushu are vying for inclusion in the Olympics. They were shortlisted by Games chiefs in July.

Presentations to the Tokyo 2020 Additional Event Program Panel at the organizing committee’s headquarters will be conducted in the alphabetical order of federations, starting 9.40 local time with the WBSC.

A Tokyo 2020 spokesman tells Around the Rings that each IF has 45 minutes to make their case. A maximum six officials from the IF and two from the national federation can form part of the presentation team.

Olympic officials will put their questions to the federation within the allotted time period.

Press conferences with federation leaders are scheduled to be held directly after each presentation.

The International Wushu Federation wraps up the day of interviews, pitching 2020 organisers from 17:25-18:10.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto and chair of the panel Fujio Mitarai will give their impressions of the sports’ presentations at a press conference slated to take place soon after wushu officials have spoken to media.

Over the coming six weeks, the Tokyo 2020 Additional Event Program Panel will continue to scrutinize the applications of the sports.

The key criteria are: the additional event(s) will serve as a driving force to promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal; the event(s) will add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide; the selection procedure will be open and fair.

Tokyo 2020 will deliver its additional events proposal to the IOC by Sept. 30, with final approval coming at the 129th IOC Session in Rio in August 2016.

Squash Gets Ready

World Squash Federation's team is led by president N Ramachandran and includes women's world No.1 playerNicol David, Japan Squash Association president Kazuya Kasahara and WSF chief executive Andrew Shelley.

"Our sport has been on an exciting journey of change and innovation," said Ramachandran. "Two years ago it took us to the final shortlist of three sports that were considered by the IOC for a place on the Tokyo 2020 programme – and we are now grasping the opportunity to re-present our case to the host city with both hands."

Reported by Mark Bisson

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.