The Olympics is undoubtedly the biggest sporting spectacle on this planet. Athletes of all nationalities converge to this forum in a quest to achieve national and personal glory. A fortnight of amazing sporting events ensue and they keep the entire globe glued to their television screens. The 2016 Rio Olympics featured a total of 28 sports, a total of 41 disciplines and 306 events. Two new entrants who made an entry into this list in this edition were golf and rugby sevens. While these inclusions are welcome, there are still a few sports which on the basis of their popularity and appeal deserve a place in the sporting event roster of the next edition.
Recently, five additional sports have been unanimously approved by the IOC for Tokyo 2020. These are baseball/ softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. However, there are a few others that have universal appeal but haven’t been included for unknown reasons. Read on to know about the 5 more sports that should have been included in Tokyo Olympics 2020.
1) Cue Sports
Cue sports have a rich history and Snooker alone is watched by nearly half a billion people worldwide and played competitively in over 90 countries. Billiards/ Snooker are games that are played on a cloth covered table with six pockets called a billiards table.
The World Billiards Championships is a successful tournament held annually and has a significant following worldwide. The tournament dates back to 1869. Hence, introduction of it in Olympics can do no harm but increase the viewer base. It should be noted that Pankaj Advani has won this Championship in the years of 2009, 2012 and 2014.
It is the one of the most prominent sports that will be missing in Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
2) T20 Cricket
The razzmatazz version of the gentleman’s game, T20 cricket has captured the imaginations of millions of people in the countries where it is played.
It is slowly moving into newer territories like Europe and North America and catering to the needs to a wider range of audiences.
The performance of new countries like Afghanistan in the sport has made everyone take notice. Moreover, the introduction of the Cricket AllStars T20 tournament has given the sport great traction.
It is high time that the popularity of T20 cricket be tapped in the Olympics and is one of the sports that should be included in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
3) Squash
Another surprising exclusion from the Olympics is the game of squash. A widely popular sport in majority of the world, it is self-contained, and can be contested in both singles and doubles.
The only plausible reason could be the low visual appeal among viewers. It is one of the games which requires a high level of physical activity and hence it is certainly not a sport that can be kept out for its low sweat factor.
Moreover, squash is slowly gaining a lot of popularity in Japan and this can help pull crowds to this event.
4) Futsal/Beach Soccer
The mini and modified version of football, futsal is extremely popular as an indoor sport.
The variant of the same played on sand is beach soccer which is played with five players per side on a smaller hard court pitch indoors.
As expected, this sport is very popular in Brazil and hence, it is a surprise that the inclusion of this event was not pushed for in this edition.
Also, as per the latest Futsal men’s ranking, Japan lies in the 12th spot. Therefore, based on its popularity in the world, futsal/beach soccer is one of the sports that should be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
5) Bowling
Bowling is popular all across the globe as a sought-after recreation. It is also played professionally across several countries. However, to be considered by The International Olympic Committee (IOC) a sport must comply with some regulations.
The sport should be participated by men in at least 75 countries and on 4 continents, and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on 3 continents.
Moreover, there is always an unending debate ranging on if bowling is a game or a sport.
Regardless of the shortcomings, bowling is another sport that that should be included in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
