Bowling, Karate Excited by Tokyo Shortlist

(ATR) Bowling and karate added to the excitement about being included on the Tokyo 2020 shortlist.

The two sports were among eight named on Monday as possibility to join the 2020 program.

World Bowling president Kevin Dornberger said, "It is an honor to be included on the first shortlist and we look forward to showcasing the best of bowling in the next phases. Today is an historic day for our sport."

Bowling served as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and has pushed to join the Olympic program after changing its scoring system in 2014and relocating its federation headquarters to Lausanne.

World Bowling says that the federation’s next steps are to focus on the 2015 World Bowling Open in Tokyo on Jul. 9-15.

The World Karate Federation says that the sport’s showcase at the 2015 European Games in Baku shows the sport "is ready for the Olympic Games."

WKF president Antonio Espinos said, "We have been touching several times the final objective with our fingertips, and now we are confident that it will be our opportunity. Karate is rather appealing to the youth, very popular worldwide, universal with 191 NFs members, and with very solid roots in Japan, where it is also extremely popular."

As the process continues before the final sport program is ratified at the 2016 IOC session in Rio de Janeiro, Karate wants to show Tokyo 2020 and the IOC the "significant added value" the sport would add to the Games.

Karate tried to join the sport program for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but was not shortlisted for the decision on the 2020 and 2024 Games. Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms at the 2014 Extraordinary IOC Session reopened the door for the sport.

Karate and bowling were joined by baseball/softball, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and wushu on the shortlist. The sports must present more information to the organizing committee by Jul. 22, and then the federations will meet with Tokyo 2020 on Aug. 7-8.

Tokyo 2020 will let the IOC know of any additional events proposed by Sept. 30, and the decision on the final sport program will be voted on at the 2016 IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro.

Written by Aaron Bauer

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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