The Tokyo Olympics, from July 24 to August 9, will be an opportunity to discover four new sports on the program: surfing, climbing, basketball and karate.

Another sport, baseball - and its feminine version, softball -, particularly popular in the Japanese archipelago, is making a comeback.

The Olympics will be contested without spectators, but they will dust off this summer in Tokyo with the introduction of surfing, skateboarding and rock climbing, while karate will make a perhaps unique appearance and baseball its "come." -back ", twelve years after his last Olympic Games.

Here is a presentation of these five sports as well as some of their respective favorites, with the French involved and the calendar. 

The surf wants to take the wave

It's arguably one of the most anticipated new sports in Tokyo, though the waves off Tsurigasaki Beach, southeast of the Japanese megalopolis, are likely to disappoint those hoping to see rollers comparable to those. from Hawaii, or from Tahiti, where the Paris 2024 surfing events will take place.

Despite everything, the battle for gold promises to be exciting, in the absence of aging icon Kelly Slater who failed to qualify.

The Brazilians Italo Ferreira and Gabriel Medina and the American John John Florence are among the favorites for the men, while an American-Australian duel is looming for the women, with the Americans Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks and the Australians Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons.

On the French side, the goal is two medals, one for men and one for women.

The French selected:


Women:

Johanne Defay and Pauline Ado


Men:

Jérémy Florès and Michel Bourez

The calendar:

qualifying series on July 25, quarter and semi-finals on July 27, finals on July 28

Skateboarding: youth in power

Another trendy board sport, skateboarding will be divided into two competitions: the ramp, that is to say a course combining a dome and a variety of complex curves, and the "street", resembling a street with stairs, curbs. and slopes.

In women, the gold could go to a college girl: the reigning world champion, the Japanese Misugu Okamoto, is only 15 years old, while her big rival Sky Brown, who will represent the United Kingdom, is still younger (13 years old)!

In comparison the favorite in the men, the American Nyjah Huston, is almost a veteran of the top of his 26 years and his four titles of world champion.

On the French side, the best chance for a medal will be Aurélien Giraud, engaged in street.

But all the tricolors involved go to Japan with the ambition to row a medal.

The French selected:


Women:

Madeleine Larcheron (park) and Charlotte Hym (street)


Men:

Vincent Matheron (park), Aurélien Giraud (street) and Vincent Milou (street)

The calendar: men's

qualifications and street final on July 25, women's qualifications and street final on July 26, women's qualifications and park final on August 4, men's qualifications and park final on August 5

Climbing in combined mode

In the new Olympic discipline of sport climbing, athletes will compete in three different events: difficulty climbing, speed and wall (or bouldering), and their final ranking will be determined by their combined results in the three disciplines. .

On the men's side, the Czech Adam Ondra is shaping up to be the big favorite, although he will have serious competitors like the Canadian Sean McColl, the Austrian Jakob Schubert and the Japanese Tomoa Narasaki.

On the women's side, a duel could oppose the world patron of climbing, the Slovenian Janja Garnbret, currently 22, against the Japanese Akiyo Noguchi (32 years old today) who will aim for an Olympic title in climax to its rich track record.

Each French entered will aim for a medal, but will climb with the status of outsider.

The French selected:


Women:

Julia Chanourdie and Anouck Jaubert


Men:

Mickael Mawem and Bassa Mawem

The calendar:

men's qualifications on August 3, women's qualifications on August 4, men's final on August 5, women's final on August 6

Karate: a little tour and then go?

Often in the shadow of judo, karate will also take the Olympic light for the first time in Tokyo, but perhaps also for the last, having been excluded from the Paris 2024 Olympics in favor of breakdance.

A centuries-old martial art originating in the Okinawa archipelago (southwest of Japan) when the region was still an independent kingdom under the name of Ryukyu, the Olympic version of karate will be divided into two competitions, the "kata" (choreographed strokes). in the void) and "kumite" (fight between two opponents, but where the attacks are also ultra-controlled). Japanese Ryo Kiyuna, originally from Okinawa, will be one of the favorites of the "kata" competition in as a three-time world champion.

None of the three Frenchmen engaged does not wear the clothes of favorites.

But all are used to major international events and aspire to a medal.

The French selected:


Women:

 Leïla Heurtault (-61 kg) and Alexandra Feracci (Kata)


Men: 

Steven Da Costa (-67 kg)

The schedule:


-67 kg (M) and - 55 kg (F) on August 5


- 61 kg (F) and -75 kg (M) on August 6


+ 61 kg (F) and + 75 kg (M) on 6 August


Women's kata


eliminations and final

August 5

Men's kata eliminations and finals August 6

The baseball / softball comeback

Baseball / softball returns to the Olympics this year, for the first time since the Beijing Games in 2008, and the men's tournament promises to be very open. The Olympic baseball tournament will be contested by six national teams, four of which have already qualified. Japan, automatically selected as host country, will be able to rely in particular on its superstar Shohei Ohtani and on the fervor of the Japanese public, keen on this sport. South Korea - the latest Olympic winner to date -, Mexico, Israel, the United States and the Dominican Republic are also qualified.

As for softball, whose rules are similar to those of baseball but which is played on a smaller field, its Olympic version will be reserved for women's teams.

The Americans are considered the big favorites.

They will face Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan and Italy.

The France team is not qualified, as in baseball.

The schedule:

Round Robin (mini-championship) from July 21 to 26, finals on July 27 for softball


Quarter-finals on August 4, semi-finals on August 5 and finals on August 7 for men.