The big Olympic news before the games start in Tokyo was the addition of four new sports to the games. Karate, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Surfing all made their maiden Olympics appearances in 2021. The events were added with the intention of taking the sport to the youth. The four sports were added specifically for the 2021 edition rather than being a permanent sport.
Karate:
There were two Karate disciplines in the Olympics Kumite and Kata. Kumite was the sparring discipline that had 3 different weight classes for both men and women making 6 different categories. The Kata discipline was the solo form discipline with categories being Men's Kata and Women's Kata.
Total 32 medals were awarded to athletes from 20 different countries. Host nation Japan was the most successful contingent as they won 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal.
Skateboarding:
The Skateboarding event had park and street categories each for Men and Women. The street competition was held on a straight ‘street-like’ course featuring stairs, handrails, curbs, benches, walls and slopes. Each skateboarder performs individually and uses each section to demonstrate a range of skills, or ‘tricks’. Judging takes into account factors like creativity and difficulty in order to award an overall mark.
The Park competition took place on a hollowed-out course featuring a series of complicated curves some resembling large dishes and dome-shaped bowls. From the bottom of the cavity, the curved surfaces rise steeply, with the upper part of the incline either vertical or almost vertical. The judges awarded an overall mark based on factors like creativity and difficulty.
There were 12 medals awarded to athletes from five different countries. Hosts Japan again won most medals with 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.
Sport climbing:
The Sport climbing event was divided into two gender based categories. Both the men and women competed in three disciplines of lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing. The final rankings were calculated by multiplying the climber's rankings in each discipline, with the best score being the lowest one.
6 medals were awarded to athletes from five different countries. Slovenia and Spain won the Gold medals while the USA won a Silver and Austria got a Bronze. Japan got the Silver and the Bronze in the Women's combined category.
Surfing:
The two categories in Surfing were Men's shortboard and Women's Shortboard. A four-person heat structure was used in Tokyo.Four athletes competed at any given time. The best two of each heat qualified for the next round. Each heat ran for 20 to 25 minutes, with their top two scores being used.
Total 6 medals were won by athletes from 5 different countries. Brazil and the U.S.A won the Gold medals while Japan won a silver and a Bronze. Australia won a Bronze and South Africa won a Silver.
