Five sports have been added to the official events page for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, out of these five sports three are making their debut: skateboarding, rock climbing, and surfing. As these sports are generally less competitive with fewer competitions so they currently have a smaller following. However, they each have one thing in common, they are popular among the younger generation. In order to increase numbers of spectators and improve viewing among all generations, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) proposed adding these three new sports. To share the information on these lesser-known Olympic sports, we’ll be listing a few popular Japanese accounts to follow below.
Skateboarding
Yuto Horigome (Followers: 251K)
With skateboarding growing in popularity it’s only natural that championships would form as well. While these championships aren’t incredibly common they have also played a major role in showcasing some of the best young skaters around the world. Yuto Horigome, for example, has won “Street League” three years in a row. As of January 2019, Despite being only 19 years old, Horigome is expected to become a medalist in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Sports Climbing
Another sport also growing in popularity is rock climbing. It’s become quite popular in recent years due to how simple or advanced you choose to make it. As a result, there are more and more rock climbing gyms popping up around Japan. Some professional climbers even compete internationally with fantastic results, further exposing rock climbing to many Japanese people.
Miho Nonaka (Followers: 82.3 K)
Miho Nonaka known to some as the queen of Japanese rock climbing, recently won the IFSC World Cup in 2018. Even before this substantial win, she was still ranking quite high amongst her competitors. Her powerful climbing style is truly something to admire as it’s quite unique compared to other climbers.
Tomoa Narasaki (Followers: 43.7K)
Tomoa Narasaki, was the first Japanese climbing champion to win the IFSC World Cup in 2016. Following this win, as well as some smaller competitions before, he has continued to gain new titles each year which has ultimately allowed him to advance his career. Over the past two years, he has ranked second two years in a row. But, with his skill and ability, he’s expected to win many medals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Surfing
Yusuke Hanai (Followers: 29 K)
Surfing has now once again become a popular sport among the young people of Japan thanks to fashion and music. One person that has truly showcased the beauty of the sport is Yusuke Hanai. Through his surf drawings, he’s been able to capture the attention of a global audience as well as with various brands across multiple outlets. All due to his extreme attention to detail.
Kanoa Igarashi (Followers: 177 K)
Kanoa Igarashi, a 20 year old Japanese professional surfer has a good chances of winning a medal at Tokyo 2020. His first name “Kanoa” means freedom in Hawaiian, and it suits the way he surfs. He took part in World Surfing League which only qualifies 48 players from around the world, furthermore, he won two international top-grade competitions last year. His looks and stylish fashion has also taken noticed by media channels.
It’s only 1 year until the Olympic games comes to Tokyo, this Olympics will attract a large youthful audience. It’s going to be great!
