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The Olympic Games originated there in Olympia, in Ancient Greece, in honor of the Greek gods. At first, the only sport practiced was running, which dominated three editions.
In 2020 the Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, Japan. So far the competition has 33 sports modalities, five of which are new. These include surfing, skateboarding, baseball, karate and rock climbing.
1 – Skateboard
The origin of this sport to this day remains uncertain. It is believed that skateboarding emerged in the 1960s when there was a dry season and low tide in California. And then the surfers, to take advantage of the period, put roller skates on the boards and walked along the asphalt.
The sport became popular in the 1970s when chemical engineer and surfer Frank Nashworthy manufactured wheels from a safer material, polyurethane. Before, they were made of iron or Bakelite, a harder plastic, both of which did not offer any type of security. That's when the sport took on a popular taste, creating different modalities, such as Slalom, Downhill, Freestyle and Vertical, giving rise to modern skateboarding.
In Brazil we have several highly recognized athletes in the sport. Sandro Dias, for example, better known as Minerinho, is a six-time world champion in the World Cup Skateboarding, three-time European champion and gold medalist at the X Games in Los Angeles.
2 – Surfing
The origin of this sport is disputed between Peruvians and Polynesians. However, its evolution took place in Hawaii since the Hawaiian people dominated the practice with great skills.
The first practitioners of this sport believed that their practice would be a cult to the spirit of the sea. Thus, the worldwide recognition of this modality came with the father of modern surfing Duke Paoa Kahanamoku. At the beginning of the 20th century, he promoted surfing by starting demonstrations in different regions of the world such as California, France, Australia, South America and Africa.
Here in our country we have several renowned surfers. One of the best known today is athlete Gabriel Medina, who in 2018 became two-time WCT world champion.
3 – Karate
The origin of the sport was on the island of Okinawa. She was owned by the powers of China and later Japan. Thus Karate became a blend of Chinese and Japanese cultures.
To avoid the rebellion of the population, the nobles of Japan, who controlled the country, prohibited the use of any type of weapon. Thus, the population began to use their own bodies for self-defense. This method has earned the name of Okinawa-te.
As each master performed his own way of practicing karate, different styles of the sport emerged.
4 – Climbing
This sport is one of the most dangerous of the five that were included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Derived from mountaineering and alpinism, climbing was consolidated as a sport in the 1960s with the new techniques developed and rigorous training for sportsmen to reach the highest altitudes.
5 – Baseball
Of uncertain origin, baseball is one of the best-known sports in the United States. Some say that this modality emerged as a derivation of sports practiced by the English, who used bat and ball, such as Cricket. The sport is the only one on the list to participate in the Olympics.
One of the first teams founded in the United States was the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York, by Alexander Cartwright, a New York firefighter who is now considered the “father” of modern baseball.
And then did you like to know about the new modalities? Tell us in the comments which one is your favorite?
