Seven World Games Sports on Tokyo 2020 Shortlist
Eight sports have been shortlisted for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Seven of these belong to The World Games family and their federations are members of the International World Games Association. IWGA President José Perurena said after the announcement of the sports that will be evaluated for inclusion on the program of Tokyo 2020: “We are proud that so many of our members now have an opportunity to be promoted to the Tokyo Games.”
The seven sports are Baseball & Softball, Bowling, Karate, Roller Sports, Sports Climbing, Squash, Surfing. Wushu, which is also on the shortlist, was on the World Games sports program as an invitational sport at TWG 2009 Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei) and TWG 2013 (Cali).
“The decision underlines our close cooperation with the IOC regarding the composition of the sports program and how sports are evaluated. This cooperation is part of the Agenda 2020 approved by the IOC in November,” said José Perurena.. He added: “It is a matter of fact that The World Games are the stepping stone to the Olympics. We wish all our members the best of luck in the process now starting of selecting the new sports for 2020.”
Most recently Rugby Sevens has moved from The World Games to be on the program of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. A number of other sports that were formerly on the program of The World Games are now included in the program of the Olympic Games, such as badminton, beach volleyball, taekwondo, triathlon and women's weightlifting.
About The World Games
The World Games are a quadrennial and multidisciplinary sports event, which showcase 35+ sports, such as Gymnastics, Squash, Tug of War, Sumo and Roller Sports. The next edition will be held in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2017. About 4,500 athletes and officials from approximately 100 countries take part in The World Games. The World Games are governed by the International World Games Association, an organization recognized by the IOC.