Going for Gold: In Tokyo, the new comes at the expense of the historic

From popular sports like track and field to lesser-known games such as handball, many of the sports at the Olympics have a long history and tradition of memorable moments, athletes and events.

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is expected to continue this tradition with the addition of a number of new sports. Baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will all enter the mix this July.

Baseball in particular holds a special place in my heart. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember. Since fifth grade I’ve been a Seattle Mariners fan, and I still remember coming home from school every spring afternoon and watching baseball games for hours on end.

Baseball is not entirely new to the Olympics. Actually, from 1992-2008, baseball was played at each Summer Olympics until the International Olympic Committee decided to remove it from the games — a controversial decision because of baseball’s worldwide appeal.

One of the biggest reasons for removing baseball was due to the fact that MLB players were not allowed to participate in the games. Removing MLB players from the equation also meant removing the best players in the world. With its reintroduction to the Games in 2020, many fans are elated to see one of the Olympics’ most storied sports return. 

However, other decisions made by the IOC have been made without paying much attention to the history of the games. New sports like sport climbing and surfing have been added with the hope that they will allow younger athletes to compete. As beneficial as this may be for the next generation of athletes, the Committee’s additions reveal an inconsistent record of upholding the history of the Olympics.

In 1896, the inaugural Olympics hosted a grand total of nine sports, all of which are still played at the Games today. Now, 124 years later, that number has grown to 33. Many of these new sports, skateboarding and surfing included, distract from traditional sports. Even though they’re exciting and fun to watch, that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be hosted at what might be the world’s most significant international sports event. 

The intent of the IOC to favor what’s popular over what’s tradition has played out in other sports as well. In February 2013, the committee decided to remove wrestling from the 2020 Games, causing an uproar among many fans. After widespread outrage, only months passed before the IOC reinstated the sport.

According to IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, the decision to remove wrestling was not because anything was wrong with wrestling but was because it detracted from the attention given to the Game’s other sports. 

I understand that the IOC believes it is working within its best interests when making decisions like this, but for fans of Olympic tradition like myself, it hurts to see the seeming lack of recognition the IOC has demonstrated toward this tradition.

It is clear that the IOC is adding and doing away with sports purely to adjust to the changing sports interests of newer generations. That’s not bad in and of itself, but it shouldn’t be the sole motivating factor behind the IOC’s decisions. It is a welcome development that the Olympics is trying to attract and adapt to a greater age demographic, but progress isn’t always made by abandoning tradition. The IOC is focusing more on adopting to new preferences rather than upholding the traditions of the Games.

Nathan Hyun is a sophomore writing about the 2020 Olympics. His column, “Going for Gold,” runs every other Wednesday.