Will bowling be included in the 2020 Olympic Games?

(Baonghean.vn) - Along with seven other sports, bowling is currently under consideration and discussion for inclusion in the list of additional sports at the 2020 Olympic Games, to be held in Tokyo, Japan.

Over the next two months, the relevant federations will discuss and select from the following sports: bowling, men's baseball/women's softball, karatedo, squash, rock climbing, surfing, roller skating, and wushu. This list will then be submitted to the 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee, and subsequently approved by the International Olympic Committee before September 30, 2015. In August 2016, at the 129th session of the conference held in Rio, the final official decision on the list of sports will be made.

The chairman of the committee for adding new events, Fujio Mitarai, stated: “It would be very beneficial for the Olympic Games to add new events, as it would attract the attention of a large number of people in Japan and around the world. One of the criteria we use to select events is their ability to promote the meaning of the Olympic Games, especially among young people.” Accordingly, he suggested that surfing and bowling are two events worth considering.

Will bowling be included in the 2020 Olympic Games?

In the first round of discussions by the 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee on June 12th, 26 "candidates" nominated by international federations were eliminated, including sumo – the traditional combat sport of host country Japan. Polo – a horse sport – and bridge also suffered the same fate. Conversely, baseball – extremely popular in Japan and previously selected as a sport for the 2008 Beijing Olympics – was approved.

For now, at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, golf and rugby sevens were selected as official competitive sports through the same process as described above.

Thuc Anh

(Le monde)