Could bowling or surfing become Olympic sports at the 2020 Games in Tokyo?
They’re on a shortlist of contenders announced by organizers Monday.
The others are baseball and softball, karate, roller sports, climbing, squash and wushu, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee said.
The Tokyo organizers will decide in September whether to propose one or more of the sports to the International Olympic Committee for inclusion. The final decision will come in 2016.
After a steady run starting in the 1990s, both baseball and softball were controversially dropped from the Olympic roster for the 2012 Games in London. They’ve been working hard since to try to get back in.
Baseball and softball and squash made a previous shortlist two years ago for the 2020 and 2024 Games, but they were beaten out by wrestling.
Now they’re back in the running in the new list of finalists.
The IOC reviews the Olympic program periodically, although most of the core sports rarely change.
Golf and rugby were added to the program for the 2016 and 2020 Games.
Karate from Japan and wushu from China are seeking to join the martial arts already in the Olympic fold: judo and taekwondo.
The Tokyo committee said it’s looking for events that will “serve as a driving force to promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal.”
The organizers said they also want any sports they choose to engage Japanese citizens and new audiences around the world.
